India are set to kick off their tour of Ireland and England later today, with the first T20I against Ireland slated to start at 6 PM IST (1:30 PM local time) at the Civil Service Cricket Ground in Stormont, Belfast.
However, local weather forecasts predict a possibility of rain interruptions. There is a 50-65% chance of rain in the morning hours, which could potentially delay the start of the tie. However, conditions are expected to clear by the afternoon, falling to a 40% chance by 4 PM and 30% by 6 PM.
All eyes on Shreyas Iyer and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Apart from the weather, much of the attention will be on captain Shreyas Iyer, who will be making his captaincy debut, and teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is in contention for a first-ever senior cap for India.
It is a remarkable turnaround for Iyer, whose consistent IPL batting form and captaincy credentials earned him a recall to the India T20 setup and the top job to boot after a 30-month absence from the format. He last played a T20I in December 2023 against Australia. He replaces Suryakumar Yadav in the squad, after the latter’s long slump in form cost him his #4 batting slot and the captaincy too.
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi enjoyed a stunning IPL 2026 season, finishing as the leading run-scorer, and turned around a rocky start to his India A career in the Tri-Nation A series with a blistering 29-ball 94-run knock in the final. The youngster has created a selection headache for the team management, with India’s top order already featuring established names like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. In all likelihood, the 15-year-old may have to wait longer. After the two games in Ireland, the team will fly to England for five T20Is, and that’s where the teenage batting sensation is likely to make his debut, as by then he will have adapted better to the new atmosphere. Plus, by then, the team management will be in a position to ask the regular openers to rest.
Hourly forecast (local time):
9:00 AM: 16°C – 45% chance of rain
10:00 AM: 17°C – 50%
11:00 AM: 18°C – 55%
12:00 PM: 19°C – 60%
1:00 PM: 20°C – 65%
2:00 PM: 21°C – 55%
3:00 PM: 22°C – 45%
4:00 PM: 22°C – 40%
5:00 PM: 21°C – 35%
6:00 PM: 20°C – 30%
