EAST MEADOW, New York, CMC – India captain Rohit Sharma followed up destructive bowling from his side with a controlled half-century to lead them to an eight-wicket win against Ireland in a low-scoring Group A match of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
Sharma hit the top score of 52 before he retired hurt after being struck on the upper arm by a rising delivery from left-arm pacer Josh Little, and the Indians got off the mark when they successfully chased a modest target of 97 on a dicey Nassau County Stadium pitch.
The India captain made batting look easy on the untrustworthy pitch, struck four fours and three sixes from 37 balls, and shared a 54-run second wicket stand with left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to put their side firmly on course for victory.
When Sharma retired at the drinks break after ten overs, India required a further 21, and Pant got them over the finish line with three fours and two sixes in 36, not out of 26 balls.
He formalised the result with 46 balls remaining with an audacious reverse scoop over third man for his final six off pacer Barry McCarthy, securing two points for India and leaving Ireland to ponder what happened.
“New ground, new venue, we wanted to see what’s it like to play on, but I don’t think the pitch settled down, and there was enough there for the bowlers,” Sharma said.
“If the conditions are there for the seamers, we wanted them in the squad. The spinners will play their part later in the tournament, but we are open to making changes to suit the team’s needs.”
Earlier, India’s bowlers, led by Hardik Pandya, produced a sizzling display on the spicy pitch and ripped through Ireland, bowling them out for only 96 in 16 overs.
Pandya bagged three for 27 from his allotted four overs, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ended with two for six from three overs and was shockingly named Player-of-the-Match and left-arm pacer Ashdeep Singh finished with two for 35 from his four overs after he was impactful with the new ball, but he was expensive late on.
Only four Ireland batsmen reached double figures, with Gareth Delany leading the way with 26, and he was the only batsman with 20 or more.
Though the Ireland batsmen’s careless strokes led to their downfall, the pitch in between left much to be desired, and many of the batsmen simply could not cope with the uneven bounce, especially from the Indian pacers armed with the new ball.
“It was a tough one. The toss played a crucial part, the pitch did a lot, and we weren’t up to that challenge,” Ireland captain Paul Stirling said.
“India bowled well and put us under pressure. It was how to go about it. I wanted to put pressure back on the bowlers, but everything we tried went up in the air. Their lengths were outstanding.
“We’ve got a big game or two coming up, so any time out in the middle is crucial. Hopefully, the pitch gives us a better run come Friday.”
India faces political and sporting archrivals Pakistan on Sunday at the same venue where Ireland meets Canada on Friday. However, Group A matches continue on Thursday when co-hosts the United States face Pakistan at the Grand Prairie Stadium in the American city of Dallas in the state of Texas.
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