In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, India won their opening match by an eight-wicket margin over Ireland. In the first inning at Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York, the bowlers gave an incredible display, and the hitters took care of the rest to secure a comfortable victory.
After winning the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma decided to bowl first. The Indian bowlers capitalised fully on the surface’s continued tendency to be slower than expected. Ireland suffered a few early hits from Arshdeep Singh, but Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah eventually handled the matter.
Giving up just six runs in three overs, the all-rounder, who had a subpar performance in the IPL 2024, claimed three wickets to Bumrah’s two. India, who held Ireland to 96 runs, were the favourites to win the second innings.
In the chase, Rohit Sharma performed outstandingly and scored 52 runs off of 37 balls before retiring hurt. Virat Kohli, however, left the game early. The captain felt a strain in his muscle and decided to leave the pitch rather than take a chance. Rishabh Pant, batting at number three, took full advantage of the occasion once more. In just 13 overs, India was able to chase it down thanks to his 36 runs off 26 balls.
1. Indian bowlers’ outstanding performance
Arshdeep got off to a strong start with the new ball, while Bumrah and Pandya played faultless middle overs. The Men in Blue were unaffected, even if things became a little more tricky towards the finish. Ireland was too easy to restrict and they did so at a little cost.
2. Skipper led from the front
Prior to the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma’s form was a major cause for concern. But with a strong showing against Ireland, the captain put an end to all of the negotiations. His performance with the bat was impressive, and that should boost his confidence going forward in the competition. In the meantime, the 37-year-old scored 4000 runs in Twenty20 international cricket.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024 Match 8 between IND and IRE
Losing skipper Paul Stirling said:
Toss played a crucial part – stuck in to bat in overcast conditions. We needed to put a bit of pressure back on the Indian bowlers. They didn’t really miss that often. Their groupings and lengths were outstanding. Any time in the middle is crucial for us. We’ll be back here for a couple of days. Will give it a good crack against Canada.
Winning skipper Rohit Sharma said:
Yeah, just a little sore (the arm). I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that’s five months old. I don’t think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers. That’s pretty much what you gotta do. Try to hit those lengths consistently. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket. Arshdeep is the only guy who hasn’t. His two wickets upfront set the tone for us. Don’t think we can play four spinners here (laughs).
When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance. If conditions are there for seamers, we wanted to have that. Spin will play a part later on. Today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners who are allrounders. I don’t know what to expect from the pitch to be honest. We will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this (for Pakistan game). This is going to be a kind of game where all XI of us will need to contribute. It was scratchy, but good to spend some time in the middle and understand what kind of shots to play there.
POTM Jasprit Bumrah said:
Coming from India, with the ball seaming around, I wouldn’t complain when there’s help for bowlers. In this format you have to adapt to the conditions, you have to be proactive. Trying to stick to the plans and trying to go back to what has worked for me. You always want to cover all the bases in these conditions. You got to be prepared, very happy with the outing today.
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