India beat Ireland by 33 runs in yesterday’s T20I at The Village in Dublin. Batting first, the Men in Blue put up 185-5, with meaty contributions from the top and middle order. The bowlers also impressed, restricting Ireland to 152-8. With the win, India clinched the T20I series with a game in hand.
Andrew Balbirnie (72 off 51) top-scored for Ireland with a fabulous knock, but Jasprit Bumrah (2-15), Prasidh Krishna (2-29) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-37) combined to stymie Ireland’s progress.
The hosts got off to a disastrous start in their chase, losing three wickets for 28 runs inside the powerplay. Krishna dismissed Paul Stirling (0) and Lorcan Tucker (0) with well-directed short balls in the third over.
Harry Tector (7) was then knocked over by a googly from Bishnoi. Curtis Campher (18) was the next to go. He spliced a catch off a reverse-sweep from the leg-spinner to backward point as Ireland slid to 63-4 at the halfway stage.
Balbirnie single-handedly kept the fight alive for Ireland, smacking five fours and four sixes. His fine knock ended, though, when he nicked a full delivery from Arshdeep Singh after launching the left-arm pacer for a maximum. Mark Adair clubbed Krishna for a couple of sixes, but it was too little too late.
Gaikwad smashes fifty as India post 185-5
Sent into bat after losing the toss, India scored an impressive 185-5. The Men in Blue lost two wickets inside the powerplay – Yashasvi Jaiswal (18) and Tilak Varma (1) both perished miscuing short balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad (58 off 43) and Sanju Samson (40 off 26) lifted India with a third-wicket stand of 71.
Samson was severe on Josh Little, clubbing him for three fours and a six in the 11th over. He perished soon after, dragging a short and white delivery from Ben White onto the stumps. Gaikwad took on the leg-spinner in the next over, slamming the bowler for a four and a six.
Gaikwad’s knock ended when he was foxed by a slower one from Barry McCarthy and skied the ball. Rinku Singh (38 off 21) and Shivam Dube (22* off 16) provided the final flourish for India, adding 55 for the fifth wicket at a rapid pace.
Rinku slammed McCarthy for a four and two sixes in the penultimate over, Dube then hammered consecutive maximums off Adair in the last over.
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Gaikwad top-scored for India with an impressive half-century, while Rinku and Samson played aggressive knocks. With the ball, Bumrah stood out with 2-15 even as Krishna and Bishnoi also claimed two scalps apiece.
For Ireland, McCarthy claimed two wickets, while Balbirnie scored a fabulous 72.
Rinku Singh, though, was named the Player of the Match for his whirlwind 38 off 21.