The India cricket team picked up a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener after surviving nightmarish conditions in the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The uneven bounce and unpredictable nature of the surface left the batters stranded as the marquee event witnessed yet another low-scoring game.
The clinical show from India’s bowlers, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, ensured that Ireland were bundled out for just 97 runs. In reply, Rohit Sharma led the side from the front in the run-chase, smashing a blistering half-century. His stay in the middle was cut short due to a blow to his elbow. Rishabh Pant then took control, finishing the match in style with a six behind the stumps, giving India their first win of the tournament.
Bowlers delight, batters plight
The pitch was labeled ‘unplayable’ by many due to its inconsistent nature. Early on, Indian pacers got swing and seam movement along with extra bounce. The issue wasn’t the extra bounce but rather its occurrence. Most deliveries went as expected, but often a ball would kick up.
India pacers got many batters out due to the invariable bounce they got from the pitch, and Jasprit Bumrah even struck Harry Tector on the head with a short and quick ball. When the Men in Blue came out to bat, the pitch hadn’t eased out. Balls were still shooting up once in a while, and Rohit and Pant were struck as well. Rohit had to eventually retire hurt while Pant marched on despite getting hit on his elbow and hand.
Spinners, however, were not present in the India vs Ireland match. Out of the 28.2 overs, the turners bowled just 3. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja got an over each and went for a combined 10 runs, with Axar scalping a wicket. Meanwhile, Benjamin White got a wicket in the 6 balls he bowled.
Such was the struggle for batters that Ireland managed to score just 96 runs at run-a-ball. Indian batters fared much better, as only two wickets fell, but they ended up with a miserly-looking run rate of 7.86.
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Indian stars shine
The whole India vs Ireland match was the highlight for the Men in Blue. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj were basically unplayable with the new ball. They restricted the Green and Whites to 26/2 after the powerplay. That turned out to be just the start, as Bumrah and Hardik Pandya broke their backs with 5 wickets in their 7 overs. With the bat, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli registered a rare low score, while Pant and Rohit smashed 88 of the 97 required runs alone.
India vs Ireland: Brief scores
IRE: 96/10 (Gareth Delany 26, Joshua Little 14; Hardik Pandya 3/27, Jasprit Bumrah 2/6)
IND: 97/2 (Rohit Sharma 52 retd hurt, Rishabh Pant 36*, Benjamin White 1/6, Mark Adair 1/27)
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