Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie relishing 'biggest test' of India visit

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie is hoping that playing the world's number-one ranked side will inspire his players in their two T20 clashes with India next week.

Ireland host India in Malahide on Sunday and Tuesday, with both clashes already sold out.

"It's a really big test," Balbirnie told 2fm's Game On. "Probably the biggest.

"The sheer numbers they have in the country for the game, I don’t think any other sport in the world can compare to it.

"The knock-on effect of playing a team like India is huge. There will be millions, if not billions, of people watching the game.

"It would be a massive achievement if we were to pull it off over the two games."

India are bringing some in new faces while their Test team prepare to face England later next week but Balbirnie insists their opponents are unlikely to be weakened by the changes.

"There are a lot of players who have done really well in the IPL (Indian Premier League), the domestic competition over there.

"We all know how good quality a tournament that is.

"To get into that main India team you have to consistently do quite well. So with the Indian test team in England during the time that we're playing the T20 team, there will be a lot of guys trying to prove a point and hopefully that will play into their hands.

"They’ll be coming out all guns blazing."

The two-game series marks the start of a summer of preparation for the T20 World Cup which will also World No 14 side Ireland play sixth ranked New Zealand (three games in Belfast), No 4 South Africa (two games in Bristol) and 10th-rated Afghanistan (three games in Belfast) in the reduced overs format.

"It's a huge opportunity, with the World Cup at the end of the year, for some of our young and inexperienced guys to show what they