Rain played spoilsport in the first T20I but Hardik Pandya-led India started off with a comfortable victory over Ireland. The T20I was reduced to a 12 overs per side game in Dublin. In the shortened game, India chased down the total of 109 with 16 balls to spare and registered a victory by seven wickets.
Eventful powerplay overs
Chasing 109, Deepak Hooda walked out to bat with Ishan Kishan instead of Ruturaj Gaikwad as the opener got injured during fielding. Kishan went after the bowlers from the start and contributed with an 11-ball 26 cameo laced with three fours and two sixes. Kishan got bowled by Craig Young in the third over. Young struck off the following delivery getting Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck. Suryakumar reviewed the decision but it did not help reverse the decision.
Hooda gets India over the line
Hardik joined Hooda in the middle. The two batters stabilised the run chase. Hooda and Pandya broke free in the sixth over. Andy McBrine was hit for three sixes in the over. Hooda continued the assault and looked to finish the run chase early. When India were looking to close the game, Ireland got the consolation wicket of Pandya. The all-rounder got out lbw to Joshua Little. He scored 24 runs from 12 deliveries including one four and three sixes. He shared a 64-run partnership for the third wicket.
Hooda finished the run chase in style with two consecutive boundaries off Little in the 10th over. He remained unbeaten for 47 off 29 deliveries including six fours and two sixes.
Swing troubles Irish
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was menacing with the new ball. He started off with the wicket of skipper Andrew Balbirnie in his first over. The inswinging delivery just took off the bail after beating the bat. He did not concede a single run off the bat in the first over. Skipper Pandya opened the bowling from the other end. The all-rounder got the wicket of veteran opener Paul Stirling for a single-digit score. Avesh Khan bowled the last over of powerplay overs and got an inside edge off Gareth Delany's bat. After four overs, Ireland had 22/3 on the board.
Malik’s unimpressive debut
Speedster Umran Malik was introduced in the sixth over of the innings. Harry Tector took him on and hit him for a four and a six. Malik struggled with his line and conceded 14 runs from the first over he bowled on his T20I debut excluding the four leg byes. Pandya did not give another over to Malik in the game. In his second over, Pandya was hit for two sixes by Lorcan Tucker. Yuzvendra Chahal struck in the second over he bowled. Tucker shared a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tector before getting out for a 16-ball 18.
Tector hits fifty
Bhuvneshwar was expensive in the third over he bowled. Tector hit him for a four and a six in the 10th over. Chahal bowled a brilliant penultimate over conceding just four runs. Tector reached his half-century in the last over of the innings off 29 deliveries. Tector helped Ireland finish with a flourish with a 17-run final over. He remained unbeaten for 64 runs from 33 deliveries including six fours and three sixes. Ireland posted a fighting total of 108/4 on the board. Chahal was the pick of the bowlers as he conceded just 11 runs from his quota of three overs.
