DUBLIN: Indian batsmen and bowlers were immense in their roles while giving their team a 33-run win in the second T20I and an inviolable 2-0 series lead over Ireland on Sunday. Once India erected a strong 185-5 after being asked to bat first, Ireland felt the heat while chasing and they were restricted to 152-8 despite a 51-ball-72 by Andrew Balbirnie.

India had won the rain-marred first T20I by two runs under the DLS method.

Fine hands by Gaikwad (58 off 4, six fours and six), Sanju Samson (40 off 26 balls, five fours and six) and Rinku Singh (38 off 21, two fours and three sixes) moulded India’s charge with the bat.

But on a true pitch, Indian bowlers had to back their batsmen and they produced a superb collective spell under captain Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi, who grabbed six wickets between them. Prasidh continued his impressive return to top of the shelf cricket as the pacer packed off Irish captain Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker in his first over to reduce the hosts to 19 for 2.

Leg-spinner Bishnoi castled Harry Tector with a googly, restricting Ireland to 31- 3 in the powerplay. Ireland’s progress was made all the more difficult by the ever-climbing asking rate.

Balbirnie was at the front of that mini fightback, making a strident fifty (71 off 52 balls, five fours and four sixes), before perishing to Arshdeep Singh.

Earlier, India started their innings briskly through opener Yashasvi Jaiswal who made 18 off 11 balls. But the innings failed to build on the promise as Jaiswal fell to Craig Young in the deep.

Tilak Varma failed to make an impression in the second straight game, this time a mistimed pull off Barry McCarthy was snaffled by George Dockrell close to the ropes.

The visitors gained some solidarity and momentum through Samson and Gaikwad for the third wicket. They milked 71 runs between them to carry India past the 100-run mark in the 12th over.

Samson smashed 40 off 26 balls before White ended his stay. At 105 for 3 in the 13th over, India had a good launchpad to get to a sizable total.

Gaikwad kept his end going steadily. The right-hander reached his fifty, second in T20Is, with a powerful pull off White before falling to McCarthy.

Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube showed their power-hitting prowess in the 19th and 20th over to take India to a sizeable total.

Scoreboard

INDIA:

Y. Jaiswal c Campher b Young 18

R. Gaikwad c Tector b McCarthy 58

T. Varma c Dockrell b McCarthy 1

S. Samson b White 40

R.Singh c Young b Adair 38

S. Dube not out 22

W. Sundar not out 0

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-5) 8

TOTAL (for five wickets, 20 overs) 185

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-29 (Jaiswal), 2-34 (Varma), 3-105 (Samson), 4-129 (Gaikwad), 5-184 (Singh)

DID NOT BAT: A. Singh, P. Krishna, J. Bumrah, R. Bishnoi

BOWLING: Adair 4-0-36-1 (2w), Little 4-0-48-0, McCarthy 4-0-36-2 (3w), Young 4-0-29-1, White 4-0-33-1

IRELAND:

A. Balbirnie c Samson b A. Singh 72

P. Stirling c A. Singh b Krishna 0

L. Tucker c Gaikwad b Krishna 0

H. Tector b Bishnoi 7

C. Campher c Dube b Bishnoi 18

G. Dockrell run out 13

M. Adair c Varma b Bumrah 23

B. McCarthy c Bishnoi b Bumrah 2

C. Young not out 1

J. Little not out 0

EXTRAS (B-5, W-11) 16

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs) 152

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-19 (Stirling), 2-19 (Tucker), 3-28 (Tector), 4-63 (Campher), 5-115 (Dockrell), 6-123 (Balbirnie), 7-126 (McCarthy), 8-148 (Adair)

DID NOT BAT: B. White

BOWLING: Bumrah 4-1-15-2 (1w), Singh 4-0-29-1 (1w), Krishna 4-0-29-2 (1w), Bishnoi 4-0-37-2 (1w), Sundar 2-0-19-0 (2w), Dube 2-0-18-0

RESULT: India won by 33 runs.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2023