T20 World Cup 2024 India v Ireland: Fast Bowlers Lead the Charge, Rohit and Pant Finish Strong

By Aditya | 5 min read

India v Ireland in New York’s second T20 International (T20I) match was similar to the first match(SL v SA): low-scoring and challenging.

India bowled Ireland out for 96, just two days after South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 77. Even though a different pitch was used for this game, the bounce remained uneven, making batting difficult and sometimes dangerous.

India v Ireland: Team India Selection and Strategy

India’s team selection proved to be perfect. They chose four fast bowlers, including Hardik Pandya, and two spin-bowling allrounders, which lengthened their batting lineup.

Kuldeep Yadav was left on the bench. However, the batting depth was unnecessary, as Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant steered India to victory with 46 balls to spare.

Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya took 8 wickets for 81 runs, making the pace attack instrumental, exploiting the seam movement and uneven bounce throughout Ireland’s innings, which lasted just 16 overs.

The India v Ireland match was characterized by challenging conditions, with batsmen from both teams enduring body blows.

Rohit Sharma retired hurt on 52 after being hit on the arm.

India secured their win and likely turned their thoughts to the upcoming match against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue, pondering what kind of pitch they might face.

Arshdeep Singh Impact

From the first two overs, it was clear how the pitch would behave, with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj extracting inconsistent bounce.

One ball from Arshdeep even bounced a second time before reaching wicketkeeper Pant.

Most of the inconsistencies were upward rather than downward, with Pant having to make a leaping overhead save.

The extra bounce gave India their first wicket when Paul Stirling top-edged a heave across the line at the start of the third over. By the end of that over, Arshdeep had dismissed both openers.

Mixing his stock inswinger to the right-hander with balls that continued with the left-armer’s angle, Arshdeep bowled Andy Balbirnie as he stayed leg-side of the ball and attempted to steer it down to third man.

Ireland’s Collapse

By the end of the powerplay, Ireland had lost only two wickets, but Harry Tector had already been hit on the glove and thigh pad, struggling at 1 off 10 balls.

His score became 4 of 15 before a nasty short ball from Bumrah caused him to glove the attempted to pull into his helmet and then to the fielder at short extra cover.

Hardik Pandya bowled Lorcan Tucker while he was trying to drive a nip-backer. Ireland continued to lose wickets as India’s bowlers made the length ball move and the short-of-length ball climb.

The introduction of spin didn’t stop the collapse, with Barry McCarthy caught and bowled by an Axar Patel delivery that stuck in the pitch.

At 50 for 8, Ireland risked recording their lowest T20I total of 68, which they narrowly avoided thanks to Gareth Delany’s quick 26 off 14 balls, taking them to 96.

Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant’s Excellent Batting

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli started aggressively, likely believing the new ball and powerplay field restrictions offered the best chance for quick runs.

Kohli fell early, caught at deep third while charging Mark Adair and attempting to slap him over the covers.

Rohit had two slices of early luck: a tough chance was dropped at second slip by Balbirnie off Adair in the first over, and an inside edge in the second over off Josh Little went for four past the stumps.

Rohit scored his 30th T20I fifty, despite the pitch’s treacherous nature. His control percentage hovered in the 40s for most of his innings, eventually rising to 51 by the time he retired hurt.

He hit significant blows and two pulls off consecutive balls from Little, bringing up his 599th and 600th sixes in international cricket.

During this inning, he also surpassed 4000 runs in T20Is.

Rishabh Pant looked more comfortable than Rohit, appearing as fluent as anyone could on this difficult pitch.

He hit three sixes and two fours, scoring an unbeaten 36 off 26 balls.

His response to being hit on the shoulder exemplified his character: On the next ball, he finished the India v Ireland match by reverse-scooping McCarthy for six over the wicketkeeper.

The Finishing Line

We (Fans) will remember this match for the challenging pitch conditions and the excellent performance of India’s bowlers.

As they prepare for their next game against Pakistan at the same venue, the Indian team will be keenly aware of any potential difficulties the pitch may present.

For more insights, updates, and in-depth analysis of the Indian cricket team, visit Cricket World 007 Best cricket blog for everything about the Indian cricket team, offering the latest news, detailed match reports, and expert opinions.

Stay informed and engaged with the best cricket coverage at Cricket World 007, your ultimate cricket information destination.

One thought on “T20 World Cup 2024 India v Ireland: Fast Bowlers Lead the Charge, Rohit and Pant Finish Strong

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *