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New Delhi: India’s star-studded batting lineup is totally under pressure ahead of Sunday’s second and final T20I against Ireland. This marks their first series after the T20 World Cup triumph and that too under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

Though the reigning champions suffered their biggest collapse on Friday night, starting Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy stint on a rough note as the visitors failed to chase down 182, getting bundled out for 148 and handing Ireland a historic first-ever international win over India.

With a demanding five-match series against England starting this Wednesday at Chester-le-Street, India have zero time to waste and Sarpanch Sahab who is leading the side in place of World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav will want to fix the gaps quickly and leave the brief tour with a tied series.

The biggest worry from the first game was how easily the top order crumbled against an inexperienced Irish bowling attack. A prominent hero of the World Cup squad, Sanju Samson fell for a four-ball duck to debutant Jai Moondra.

Not just him, Ishan Kishan and skipper Iyer also departed cheaply within the powerplay, leaving the middle order completely exposed. While Abhishek Sharma showed intent with some clean hitting at the top but his dismissal right after the powerplay derailed the chase with Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube failing to build steady partnerships.

While the batting disappointed completely as it was clearly a collapse, the bowling department showed a few positive signs. Harshit Rana made a strong return after a four-month knee injury layoff, picking up 3 for 24 with smart variations. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel also kept things tight during the death overs.

However, Iyer’s tactical choice to exhaust his primary pacers early backfired in the later stages of the first innings with Washington Sundar gaving away 19 runs in the 16th over, and Prasidh Krishna delivered an expensive night, conceding 27 runs in the 17th over to finish with figures of 0 for 57.

These loose overs gave Ireland the extra 25 runs they needed. Ireland skipper Lorcan Tucker anchored the innings with a solid 35-ball fifty while Gareth Delany smashed a crucial 49 off 32 balls to take the hosts to a competitive total of 182.

Despite the opening loss, the management isn’t expected to trigger major changes for the decider. Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is likely to remain on the bench for the final game as the team management prefers giving the established top order another chance to redeem themselves.

The decision to bring in Sooryavanshi into the playing eleven would disrupt the current batting setup, forcing Samson lower down the line. For the Sunday showdown, Men In Blue clearly need a much more clinical performance to avoid a series defeat.

India: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Ireland: Lorcan Tucker (Captain & Wicket-keeper), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Liam McCarthy, Jai Moondra, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Reuben Wilson.