India’s openers made merry of the conditions after losing the toss and racked up a 160-run stand, a blow from Ireland could never recover from. Rohit led the charge, helping India post 208 before Ireland’s middle-order collapsed like a pack of cards to India’s wrist spin.

The first T20I saw India dictate proceedings all through the game in front of 9000 odd fans at Dublin. Come Friday, Ireland have a huge gap to bridge. Their men-in-form had no answer to Chahal and Kuldeep, probably the world’s best spin bowling duo currently in limited overs cricket.

Gary Wilson’s bowlers seemed clueless when they bowled to Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan with poor fielding adding to their misery. Before the second and final T20I, here’s all that you need to know about the two sides.

From the Indian dugout:

India’s skipper Virat Kohli has confirmed that he wants every member of the Men in Blue to get game time against Ireland. Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav and Siddharth Kaul did not feature in Wednesday’s win so we could be in for as many as five changes.

Rohit and Dhawan had their fair share of time at the crease with the middle order remaining untested. Manish Pandey did not get to bat while MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Suresh Raina, all combined to face only 13 deliveries.

Kohli has also made it clear that he’ll use the next T20I and the 3 T20Is in England to try and experiment with the team’s middle order.

Washington Sundar, the finger spinner, could fill in for one of the wrist spinners.

The pace battery could see a change as well if Kohli wants to accommodate both Umesh Yadav and Siddharth Kaul.

From the Irish dugout:

The home team has nothing to lose. They’ve only got a lot to prove. Peter Chase impressed with the ball, especially in his last over when he bagged Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli while James Shannon scored a breezy 60.

Ireland needs to build partnerships with the bat, concede less with the new ball and field well. Dropped catches will only hinder their chances. On the bright side for them, with India planning to experiment, it gives Gary Wilson’s men an ideal chance to play their natural game and have a shot at causing an upset.

The batsmen need to step up as well. Paul Stirling is an impact player and if he decides to stick around before playing his natural game, Dublin could be in for a treat. The experience of William Porterfield is all but wasted on the bench. Simi Singh at number 4 and Kevin O’Brien at number 6 need to add more value with the bat considering their recent run of form.

George Dockrell built decent pressure from one end initially but found no support from the other. Simi Singh didn’t do too bad but when someone like a Rohit Sharma steps down and picks your length, you can barely do anything.

Ireland have the ability to cause an upset and when they take to the field on Friday in front of a packed house at the Malahide Cricket Club, they’ll be hoping to execute their plans and do the same.

The match will begin at 8:30 PM IST on June 29th.