Irish openers Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie have walked out to the middle - the former does a bit of shadow batting to focus his mind.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh will get India underway - we're almost ready.

The teams have lined up for the anthems.

The conclusion of the Indian anthem is greeted by huge cheers from the crowds - it's a a huge swathe of blue out there in the stands, with the majority of attendees seemingly wearing replica shirts.

Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

It is only a matter of time before India win a world tournament - men's or women's. But the difference this time is the conditions.

They've all just come off the back of the IPL where 240 was a par score and the pitches were flat. This pitch saw South Africa take nearly 17 overs to chase down 79!

But India are a very well-rounded team, they always are.

Daniel Norcross
BBC Test Match Special commentator on BBC Sounds

India are the dominant force in cricket. Surely this is their year?

Andrew Leonard
Irish cricket commentator

It's a very settled Irish side. I'd have bet my life on 10 out of the 11 players in that line-up.

Today's game is a free hit. Realistically, they've got to beat the USA and Canada and that'll set Ireland up nicely but there's nothing to lose today. They're quietly confident.

Alvin McCaig
BBC Sport NI

No big surprises in the Ireland team with the experienced opening pair of captain Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie first up after India elected to bowl first.

Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector are next to come in a strong top four while all-rounders Curtis Campher, George Dockrell and Gareth Delany while hope to add middle-order runs.

Mark Adair is also no slouch with the bat and he is part of a pace trio which also includes Josh Little and Barry McCarthy.

Ben White provides a bit of variety with his leg spin.

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York

An American voice has just told everyone on the public address system to warn people to "slap on the sun cream".

It was cracking the flags in New York yesterday but but it's more like a dreary day in Dublin, or a miserable morning in Belfast. Grey, overcast skies.

It was inevitable that Rohit Sharma decided to bowl first after he won the toss.

The big news out of the India camp pre-tournament is that coach Rahul Dravid will step down at the end of the tournament.

The 51-year-old succeeded Ravi Shastri in 2021 and led India to the World Test Championship and 50-over World Cup finals last year, losing to Australia on both occasions.

Dravid also oversaw a run to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, where India were beaten by eventual winners England.

"Unfortunately, the kind of schedules and where I find myself at this stage in my life, I don't think I'll be able to reapply," Dravid said.

"I love doing the job. I've really enjoyed coaching India and I think it's a truly special job to do."

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York

Image source, BBC Sport

Ireland's players breezed into the ground here bright and early without much fuss but India's players, as you would imagine, had a little bit more fuss. Armoured cars, tanks and guns in the grounds outside Eisenhower Park.

Police mounted on horses inside the venue were on hand to prevent any excitable India fans getting too familiar with the players as they made their way out on the field to warm up.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Ben White.

Alvin McCaig
BBC Sport NI

It's the toughest of openers for the Irish as they prepare to face the number one side in T20I cricket.

Of course big upsets against the game's elite are Ireland's forte - look no further than the last T20 World Cup when they stunned eventual winners England in Melbourne.

The Irish have yet to add India to their list of big scalps and have lost all seven T20 meetings between the sides.

However, there's been a couple of close encounters in recent years so that could all change today in New York, particularly if the big-hitting Paul Stirling hangs around or paceman Josh Little hits top form.

If, as expected, India prevail then it's all about how Ireland lose, for a good performance in defeat can instill confidence for the remaining group games against Canada, co-hosts USA and Pakistan.

Ireland warmed up for their eighth T20 World Cup with a 2-1 series defeat by Pakistan, followed by wins over Netherlands and Scotland before losing out to Sri Lanka in Florida last Friday.

Now it's time for the serious business of tournament cricket and another chance to be giant-killers once again.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling: "We would've bowled too, there's a bit of cloud cover but now we've just got to get our pads on and get a score on the board.

"We feel like our prep has been pretty good. We're just looking forward to this game.

"We've got plenty of match-winners in our side. What an occasion this is for them to step up.

"We kept an eye on the games that have been played here so far, the scores have been quite indifferent, so we've just got to see what's in front of us and adapt accordingly."

India captain Rohit Sharma: "Our preparation has been all right, it has been quite challenging but we are professionals and you've got to get on with what's in front of you.

"We played on a similar pitch in our warm-up game against Bangladesh so I do think we know what to expect from the conditions. At the end of the day you've got to use your experience and adapt to the day.

"It is going to be slightly different to conditions that we are used to but that is how cricket goes, you have got to be ready for it. I think because we don't fully know what to expect, it will be helpful for us to have a target when we are batting."

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York

Image source, BBC Sport

There's been lots of chat about the pitches here at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium over the past few days.

The pitch used for the opening game in New York between South Africa and Sri Lanka was an absolute stinker.

Today's surface (pitch four) was used for India's warm-up game against Bangladesh where 182-5 played 122-9 respectively so hopes are a little higher for a higher-scoring game.

I had to duck to avoid the spidercam when it clambered across its web to take a closer look.

Image source, Getty Images

India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and his side are going to have a bowl.

That seems like the logical choice - if the pitch is anything like Monday's, it may prove to be a challenge for the batters from the off.

n.b. Nassau County isn't by any definition Uptown, it's in fact the western half of suburban Long Island - east of Queens, but part of New York state rather than New York city proper.

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is a temporary affair in Eisenhower Park, just over half an hour's drive from JFK airport.

Anyway, if you think that's the worst reference I'm going to crowbar into today's live, you're very much mistaken.

Think about the history of cricket - the great matches, the famous names, the storied grounds.

Well, forget all that. Because cricket meant nothing before Monday, when it came to Nassau County, home of Billy Joel.

And today we're once again heading Uptown, Girl for India v Ireland. Let's get going.