Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s debut, Shreyas’ first game as T20I captain:Sanju Samson over Ishan Kishan, India’s strongest XI for 1st T20I vs Ireland

India are set to take on Ireland in a two-match T20I series, that start on 26 June. While an India vs Ireland contest might not spark a lot of buzz given the one-sided nature of their cricketing rivalry so far, the series does have a lot to look forward to. Boy wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has captured attention all across the cricket world, is set for his first assignment with the senior Indian national team. Plus, the Indian team also has a new T20I captain, with Shreyas Iyer taking over from Suryakumar Yadav, who led the Men in Blue to a record third T20 World Cup title earlier this year. So how will Team India line up against Ireland in the first T20I? Let’s explore what can be India’s strongest playing XI. Sooryavanshi, Abhishek and Samson form strong top-order Two explosive left-handers, taking apart the bowling right from the first ball. This was the opening combination many perhaps longed to see when Sooryavanshi was storming down the selectors’ door with his explosive batting performances. It will be exciting to see how Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, both boasting of strike rates in excess of 190 in the shortest format of the game, perform together as an opening pair. Both are ‘high risk, high reward’ players and while astronomical scores are expected from the two, it will be interesting to see how one of them approaches the game when the other is out early. Sanju Samson, the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup this year, will slot in at number three. With the kind of performances he has had in India’s record third T20 World Cup win, it will be very difficult to leave him, even if it is at the cost of Ishan Kishan, who himself has had a dream year in both T20Is and ODIs. Middle-order responsibilities lie with Shreyas, Tilak Iyer is a like-for-like replacement for Suryakumar in Team India’s T20I playing XI and thus, it is almost certain that he will bat at number four. Iyer has had a decent run as captain and also a batter in the IPL in the last two seasons and he will look to make an impact upon his return to the T20I team after three years. Following him will be his vice-captain Tilak Varma at number five. The left-hander, who recently captained India A to a tri-series win in Sri Lanka, has not had the best of strike-rates in the tournament. He will look to continue the good job he did for India in the T20 World Cup at number five. Additionally, how he handles the responsibility of being the T20I vice-captain will also be interesting to see. Chance for Dube to redeem himself after poor IPL 2026 The T20Is against Ireland could turn out to be an opportunity for Shivam Dube to redeem himself. Dube had a lean patch in IPL 2026 where he managed just 270 runs in 13 matches. However, his finishing skills are tough to overlook, coupled with his ability to bowl handy overs, even inside the powerplay. Nitish Reddy is an all-round option that Team India are looking at for the long term and his being part of the playing XI makes sense. Reddy delivered with both bat and ball in IPL 2026, scoring 302 runs while taking eight wickets in 14 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Axar Patel or Washington Sundar? It remains to be seen who India pick among Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. Both have had contrasting performances in recent times. Axar led Delhi Capitals in the IPL and had a forgettable season with 173 runs and 11 wickets in 14 matches. Washington, on his part, picked up just one wicket, but his 377-run campaign in Gujarat Titans’ runner-up finish cannot be sidelined. While Axar has been a former India vice-captain in T20Is and delivered in crucial games, Washington’s recent form cannot be overlooked. The all-rounder had a good IPL campaign, especially with the bat, where he scored 377 runs. Arshdeep, Harshit as pacers, Bishnoi to play as lone specialist spinner Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana will form the main pace attack for India, with the other fast bowling options being Nitish Reddy and Dube. Arshdeep is India’s highest T20I wicket-taker and although he has not had a good time with the ball, Team India will back him to come good. Harshit, on his part, might be a bit rusty since he will be returning to action for the first time since January this year, after which he was sidelined due to a knee injury, which ruled him out of the T20 World Cup and also the IPL. With Varun Chakaravarthy out injured, India will likely field Ravi Bishnoi as the lone specialist spinner in the XI. Bishnoi last played for India earlier in the T20I series against New Zealand and this will be an opportunity for him to cement his spot in the T20I setup.