Having pocketed the series 2-0, India will be eyeing a whitewash when they face Ireland in the third and final match of the three-match series on Wednesday, August 23. Jasprit Bumrah has led the team pretty well in these two contests and will be aiming at keeping a 100%-win record in his T20I captaincy career when these two teams meet in the last match of this series. The first game did not provide much opportunity for the batting order to step and shine with rain eventually calling the shots and India edging Ireland by just two runs, via the D/L method. In the second match, however, the Indian batting order showed a glimpse of what they are capable of. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will lead the Indian team at Asian Games 2023, showed why he was such an important player at the top of the order, scoring 58 off 43 balls. Sanju Samson also had a good time with the willow, smashing 40 runs off only 26 balls. IND vs IRE 3rd T20I 2023 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head-to-Head and More You Need to Know About India vs Ireland Cricket Match in Dublin.

But the finish touches were provided by Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube who stitched a 55-run partnership, which took India took 185/5. Come Wednesday, the likes of Gaikwad, Rinku and Dube will hope to come good once again and ensure India’s dominance continues over the Irish in T20Is. Jasprit Bumrah may keep the winning combination intact and not change the XI. On the other hand, with the series already won, India can afford to rest some players and give opportunities to the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Avesh Khan and also Mukesh Kumar among others.

Openers, Top-Order: Gaikwad is set to open the innings alongside Jaiswal with the latter aiming to get back amongst the runs. Tilak Varma will want to show why he was handed an ODI call-up in India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad when he comes to bat at number three. India are due for a big opening stand the Gaikwad-Jaiswal duo can make the most of this opportunity can score big in the 3rd T20I.

Middle-Order: Samson is likely to come in at four and India might retain his services, given his explosive hitting in the last match. But there’s also a possibility of him being rested and replaced by Jitesh Sharma, who is known for his big hits in the shortest format of the game. India are also unlikely to tamper with the finisher duo of Rinku and Shivam, both of whom were superb in the last match.

All-Rounders: Washington Sundar has been far from his best in these two matches and can be replaced by Shahbaz Ahmed, in this contest. Ahmed is a similar type of cricketer and it can be a like-for-like replacement. Shivam Dube, like he did the second match, can also roll his arm over.

Bowlers: Among fast bowlers, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar can replace Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. The captain himself might sit out of the match, with the Asia Cup ahead. Bishnoi is set to keep his place and his spin bowling can be either of Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed.

India’s Likely XI for 3rd T20I vs Ireland

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson/Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed, Prasidh Krishna/Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh/Mukesh Kumar,  Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2023 06:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).