Ireland vs India 2018: India's predicted XI for first T20I

All-rounder and wicketkeeper

Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni

CRICKET-RSA-IND-ODI

Vintage Dhoni was on show in IPL 2018 as he rewound the clock and took us back to a time when he was at his belligerent best and won games for India single-handedly. He has struggled in the Indian blue in the past couple of years though and against relatively weaker opposition, could come to the party. His keeping remains top-notch and he has not slowed down a bit despite getting on in age.

Hardik Pandya has improved leaps and bounds as a bowler of late, but his batting remains a cause for concern. He is far too inconsistent with the willow in hand and often throws his wicket away after getting starts. It seems to be more of a mental block than an issue with technique although he does struggle against the full, moving ball. He does, however, remain India's best bet looking ahead to the World Cup next year.