Overview
- Cricket Ireland confirmed on Thursday that both T20Is in Belfast will start at 6:00 PM IST on June 26 and June 28 to minimise clash with India’s Women’s T20 World Cup fixture at Lord’s.
- Shreyas Iyer made his T20I captaincy debut for India in the first match at Stormont and won the toss on Friday, electing to field.
- Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who earned a maiden senior call-up after a standout IPL and List‑A season, remained in the squad but was left out of India’s playing XI for the first T20I, postponing his international debut.
- Tickets for the Belfast fixtures sold out quickly and Cricket Ireland said no tickets would be available at the gate, reflecting heavy demand driven in part by Sooryavanshi’s selection and the new leadership story.
- On the women’s and development front, India made two XI changes for a must-win Women’s T20 World Cup group match at Old Trafford and the India U‑19 women recorded an 11‑run T20 win over Sri Lanka on June 24, underscoring the pipeline feeding senior selection decisions.