A master-class knock by Deepak Hooda propelled India to a narrow escape victory in the second T20I against Ireland on Tuesday (June 28). India won the match by four runs in a nail-biting high-scoring contest to sweep the two-match series at The Village in Dublin.
Hooda scored 104 off 57 balls to become only the fourth Indian to hit a T20 International ton, while Sanju Samson contributed 77 off 42 balls to power India to a mammoth 225 for seven after opting to bat.
Ireland took the chase to the last over with skipper Andy Balbirnie (60 off 37), Paul Stirling (40 off 18), Harry Tector (39 off 28) and George Dockrell (34 not out off 16) shinning bright but they eventually fell short as rookie India pacer Umran Malik defended 17 runs in the final over.
Meanwhile, India's skipper Hardik Pandya explained the reason for giving young speedster Umran Malik the responsibility of bowling the last crucial over of the match.
"I was trying to keep all the pressure out of my equation. I wanted to be in the present and I backed Umran. He has pace, with his pace it's always going to be tough to get 18 runs. They played some amazing shots, they batted very well, credit to them and credit to our bowlers for holding their nerves," Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
Hardik also spoke about playing in Ireland and receiving huge support from Indian fans. Pandya was grateful to the fans and said that their favourite players were Dinesh Karthik and Sanju Samson as they cheered loudly for them.
"The crowd, their favourite boys were Dinesh and Sanju. Great experience to experience this side of the world. A lot of support comes for us, we try to entertain them and hope we did that. Thanks to everyone who supported us," said the India captain.
"As a child, it's always a dream to play for your country. Leading and getting the first win was special, now winning the series is special as well. Happy for Deepak and Umran," Hardik further added.
