Ireland v India 1st T20 Betting: Irish might get lucky for a spell

Ireland v India
Wednesday June 27 16.00
TV: live on Sky Sports

Irish form poor

Ireland's form coming into this one is stinking the place out. They have one win in their last eight and it's not as if they have come up against the Big Boys.

They suffered four consecutive defeats by Afghanistan and then lost twice against the Netherlands, one of those, admittedly, by just four runs. A win and a tie against Scotland followed.

How do they fare against the established nations? It's one win ten. They beat West Indies memorably in 2014 but otherwise they have not caused too many concerns.

The Irish have picked a squad with one eye on the future. Those are the words of the chief of selectors, Andrew White. Josh Little, an 18-year-old left-arm quick, gets a spot. Barry McCarthy and Craig Young have been dropped.

The hosts warmed up nicely with a win over Sussex on Sunday. Skip Gary Wilson blitzed a rapid half-century. Paul Stirling's blade will be most feared, however, by the Indians.

India batting strong

The big guns are all in play for India, who will relish the opportunity to tune up ahead of the T20 series against India.

Virat Kohli leads a hugely talented squad. Indeed, they have an embarrassment of riches with the bat. KL Rahul, so destructive in the Indian Premier League as he single-handedly raged against the dying of Kings XI's light, might not even get a game.

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya is an incredibly strong top six even without Kohli and Rahul.

With the ball, Umesh Yadav, excellent in the IPL, will test the Irish with extreme pace. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuv Kumar are wily. Washington Sundar is perhaps fortunate to get a place in the squad after disappointing for Bangalore.

Toss bias at Malahide

There have been six T20 internationals at Malahide. More than 150 has been busted only once. Five of the six have been won by the team chasing. Ireland's batting has been reasonably strong of late. They have busted 200 three times since January 2017.

Toss bias at Malahide

It's a mismatch. As you would expect. India are no better than [1.11] with Ireland available at [8.5]. That toss bias, however, gives us a bit of an edge.

It would be terrific if that edge was made thicker by some nasty weather. Some rain. Some heavy cloud. To make India feel uncomfortable if they were batting first with the ball zipping around. Don't forget they come in cold to this one.

At the moment, however, the forecast is pretty good. Long periods of sun should make India feel at home.

Still, we might see room for manoeuvre in the Ireland price and a cheeky trade should give you some interest. We're looking for them to be competitive enough to be cut to around [3.5].

Stirling stirling

Stirling notched back-to-back fifties for Ireland in the recent tri-series in Deventer. He then managed a first-class fifty for Middlesex against Leicestershire. Striking at 137 in T20s, Stirling is extremely powerful and it is no surprise to see him at the head of the betting for top Ireland runscorer. Betfair Sportsbook go 16/5. Wilson is 5/1.

Toss bias at Malahide

We have a soft spot for Rahul after he went ever so close to winning us a top IPL runscorer bet. He really should be given the chance to open here. It's a big if if he plays. But it's a small if if he opens. So there is little rick in taking the 7/2 that Sportsbook offer.

Ed Hawkins P-L

2018: +7.12pts
2017: +12pts
2016: +18.1pts
2015: +38pts
2014: +31.5pts
2013: +25pts
Based only on available prices. Does not include back-to-lay in-running match advice or commission rate. Figures 2013-2016 on 1pt level stakes. New points system (0.5pt-5) introduced for 2017. Includes Hawk-Eye stats column p-l

• Ed Hawkins
• 26 June 2018