MUMBAI: The two T20Is against India will begin at 1.30 pm local time, which is 6 pm IST, in a bid to avoid an overlap with the crucial India versus Australia clash in the 2026 Women’s World Cup at Lord’s on Sunday, it is learnt.“It was simply a factor we considered,” a Cricket Ireland official told TOI on Thursday. Normally, T20 internationals involving India start at 7 pm IST, but on this occasion the start time has been advanced by an hour to account for Harmanpreet Kaur & Co’s key game against Australia in the Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to begin at 7 pm IST. The two-match T20I series between India and Ireland in Belfast will involve games on Friday and Sunday.The five T20Is in England that follow immediately after the Ireland series have varying start times. Three games, in Chester-le-Street, Nottingham and Bristol, are scheduled to begin at 10 pm IST. While two of the matches will begin at the traditional 7 pm IST slot, the second T20I in Manchester on July 4 and the fifth in Southampton on July 11, the T20I series will be followed by three ODIs, all of which are slated to begin at the customary 3.30 pm IST.This is the first time that India will play T20Is in Belfast. In 2007, they played three ODIs against South Africa and one against Ireland in Belfast. In recent years, however, India have toured only Dublin, where they have played six T20Is, two each in 2018, 2022 and 2023, winning all six matches.The T20I series in Ireland could be historic as India’s 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who received his maiden India call-up for the T20I series against Ireland and England, could make his highly anticipated international debut. The series will also mark the India captaincy debut of Mumbai and Punjab Kings middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer.Former India leg-spinner MV Narsimha Rao, who played four Tests in 1978-79 and later moved to Ireland, will ring the ceremonial bell just before the second T20I between India and Ireland at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast on June 28 (Sunday). Rao captained Hyderabad to only their second Ranji Trophy title, defeating Delhi in the 1987-88 final. Popularly known in cricketing circles as ‘Bobjee’, Rao moved to Ireland 38 years ago, in 1988.
