NEW YORK: As his side gears up to open their ICC T20 World Cup campaign with a clash against Rohit Sharma-led Team India, Ireland batter Ross Adair admitted that Men in Blue is a “good” team and added they are optimistic about making a significant impact in the match against the Asian giants.
Ireland’s campaign at the T20 World Cup 2024 starts with a match against India at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York on Wednesday. The Paul Stirling-led team may find the Indians to be an unstoppable force, having never won a match against them in seven attempts.
The Irish are notorious for surprising favourites, like they did in the last Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, defeating eventual champions England. They defeated Pakistan less than a month ago, and their propensity to surprise major opponents is something India should be concerned about.
#WATCH | T20 World Cup | New York: On India vs Ireland, Ross Adair Ireland batsman says, “We’re very excited as a group. We’re looking forward to getting out there in New York in the first game and taking the Indian guys on…We know how good the Indian team is and we don’t shy… pic.twitter.com/YY4WapqgQV
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2024
“We’re very excited as a group. We’re looking forward to getting out there in New York in the first game and taking the Indian guys on…We know how good the Indian team is and we don’t shy away from that at all. But we’re as prepped and as ready as we’ll ever be and we’re hopefully going to give them a good game,” Adair said.
Adair said Ireland will try their best to keep India “as quiet as possible.” Ireland’s hitting drops to No. 8, with a reasonable blend of power hitters and shock absorbers.
Ireland is notorious for playing daring cricket, but the Indians are used to it, having just completed a very competitive and adventurous two-month Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. “We are very excited about this group. They have a full squad of guys who can turn the game at any stage. We are going to do our best and try to keep them as quiet as possible. But you never know,” he added.
Ireland have been placed in Group A of the marquee event alongwith USA, Canada, India, and Pakistan.
Ireland squad: Paul Stirling (C), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young. (ANI)