IND vs IRE LIVE Score, Second T20I: Ireland begins chase with Stirling on the attack

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of the second T20I between India and Ireland from Dublin.

Umran Malik introduced. After a disappointing first game, Umran would be raring to hit the mark today. Hardik Pandya produces a stunner. Direct hit from mid off after a quick pick up to dismiss Delany who tried to steal a single. The Captain leading from the front. Meanwhile Balbirnie shows no respect for Umran’s reputation as he hooks one for a six with complete disregard.

73/1 after six. Ireland’s third highest Power Play score

Out walks Gareth Delany. Inspired decision to bring the leggie on.

Ravi Bishnoi receives no niceties from Stirling first up. Pummels one straight down for six. Stirling has only one thought in his mind and it is to attack. But his intent could drive him only so far as Bishnoi goes for a fast one and goes through. Bowled!! 72/1 at 5.4. Stirling has done his job. But can Ireland keep up this chase.

65/0 after five overs.

Harshal Patel gets a go in the powerplay for a change. Stirling’s onslaught forces a shift in plans.  Harshal keeps it neat until he messes up with a high full toss which is put away for a six. No ball and free hit and Balbirnie takes full advantage – Another six for him and his side.

50/0 after four overs. This has been the perfect start for Ireland. Need to keep going at this rate if they want to stand a chance at this mammoth chase.

Hardik Pandya chooses to keep himself on. Balbirnie gives himself some space and smashes Pandya over mid off for a six. Boundaries are flowing for Ireland. Stirling pulls one, just goes beyond the stretch of an Indian fielder and dribbles to the boundary.

37/0 after three overs.

Bhuvi continues and Stirling continues to show no mercy. Clips it down the leg for a four.  Ireland are 31/0 and Balbirnie is still yet to open his account.  He finally connects one and that too for a six. That is one way to do it.

26/0 after the second over.

Hardik Pandya brings himself in. Three dots to start off for the skipper. A legbye of the fourth which brings Stirling on strike and he continues where he left off. Pulls the bones out of that short one for a six. Stirling is not going down without a fight. he is striking at 300!!

18/0 after the first over

Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the first over. Stirling wades into him third ball. Picks the length and deposits it for a SIX. They need more of this. Stirling goes on with it. Lofts one over the offside for a four. And add two more four. Stirling clips one down the leg for a four and then goes on to drive the next one for yet another four.  Brilliant start for the Irish. Bhuvneshwar didn’t see that coming. 18 off the first!!

Ireland starts off their chase and their target is 228.

227/7 after 20 overs. A huge total for Ireland to overhaul, but it could have been so much worse. India was heading for something close to 250 when the Hood-Samson partnership was at its full throttle, before a flurry of wickets brought down the charge.

Adair to bowl the last over. Two doubles to start off the last over for Hardik Pandya. He gets a four off the third ball. Crashes one to the leg side. Harshal Patel goes for a scoop the very first ball only to see his bails dislodged by an Adair cutter. Pandya stranded in the wrong end for the last two balls. Bhuvi manages a single last ball and India ends on 227/7.

217/6 after 19 overs. The Indian innings has lost steam and it is just Hardik left to shore it up.

Young with the penultimate over. Hardik puts one away down the leg side for four. Didn’t even need the full mighty of the Pandya swing.  Dinesh Karthik gets a beauty from Young on his first ball. Nicks it to the keeper and he walks off even though the umpire didn’t signal out. He knew the review was coming for him. 217/5 at 18.5. Axar Patel follows Karthik straight back. Flicks it high in to the leg side and Dockrell takes a smart catch.

212/4 after 18 overs

The Captain, Hardik Pandya walks in now. Just 15 balls left. But we all know how devastating he can be in the death. Meanwhile, Hooda motors on. He is feasting on all the short stuff Irish bowlers are feeding him.  But Hooda’s knock comes to an end, finally. Full outside off and he tries to go big, only for it to loop high for McBrine to complete a hard catch. Hooda walks back to a resounding applause.

Deepak Hooda becomes fourth Indian to hit T20I century

 

Josh Little runs in and Hooda taps it and sprints off for a single and completes his century. Fourth Indian to do so in T20Is. Tremendous achievement. Suryakumar Yadav adds a four with a cheeky cut shot over the short third man but is dismissed soon as he nicks down the leg side for the keeper to gobble it up.  206/3 at 17.3

201/2 after 17 overs

Suryakumar Yadav walks in and quickly gets off the mark and he too gets into the act soon enough. Gets hold off an off cutter and disposes it in his trademark style into the leg side. A silly misfield gives him a four and India gets past the 200 mark.

IND vs IRE: Samson, Hooda record highest T20I partnership for India

 

Mark Adair, the only wicket taker so far is back in. And Sanju gets a juicy fulltoss first up, which he dismisses for a six. But Adair strikes back with a yorker and castles Samson. 189/1 at 16.2.

183/1 after 16 overs

Craig Young brought back in. Hooda close to his hundred. Relatively quiet over from Young. No boundaries conceded and Hooda still in his 90s.  But now, the Hooda-Samson partnership has become the biggest one for India for any wicket.

177/1 after 15 overs

Gareth Delany with his last. Lorcan Tucker makes a mess of a low one and gives away four byes. Also, the Hooda-Samson partnership is now India’s biggest partnership for the second wicket. Sanju Samson now goes after Delany. Back-to-back sixes for him. One straight down the ground and one to the leg side. Ruins Delany’s figures and steps on the accelerator before the last five overs.

158/1 after 14 overs

Conor Olphert continues. And so does Deepak Hooda. Pulls another one for six. The Irish bowler are handing it to Hooda on a platter. Shortish onto the body and slammed for a six. Hooda has done this repeatedly this innings and the bowlers haven’t learned. Olphert oversteps and Samson gets a freehit which he wastes. Loops it to the fielder, but he is save and gets a single. Hooda converts another offering, thunders one down the off side for another boundary. He is into the 90s.  Sanju puts one away down the leg side for a four. It is all too easy for these two.

137/1 after 13 overs

Gareth Delany back into the attack. Sanju Samson has been starved off the strike in the last few overs. But he takes the first opportunity he receives to strike a four and get to his first 50 in T20Is.

129/1 after 12 overs

Conor Olphert back into it. Hooda goes over the top of mid off for yet another four. He follows it up with a cracking sixer. Easy offering straight into his body and Hooda pummels into the stands.  Irish bowlers are being put under tremendous pressure. Hooda puts one more four to his tally. Gets down the pitch and hits it inside out over the ring for a boundary.  Olphert crumbles under the Hooda onslaught.

110/1 after 11 overs

Josh Little reintroduced. But it doesn’t matter at this moment for Hooda. Back-to-back boundaries for him, both on the offside, one a drive and other a late cut piercing two fielders. Sanju threads the same gap later in the over for a four. These two are almost mirroring each other.

97/1 after 10 overs

Andy McBrine introduced and Deepak Hooda shows no respect. Puts him away with ease for a Six! 93m that one. Hooda repeats the act. He pounces on another loose one offered by McBrine almost at the same spot. A single later and Hooda brings up his first T20I 50.

81/1 after Nine overs.

Delany continues. Another dropped chance, you could say. Sanju smashes one straight back and Delany puts out a hand. You could say he saved a four for his side.  Delany has been frustrating both these batters. But Sanju finally puts one away, although it is a thickish edge down the off for a four. And to add on to it, Sanju pulls a half-tracker for a six down the leg side.  Momentum reinstated and Sanju goes past his highest score in T20Is.

66/1 after Eight overs.

Conor Olphert gets his first chance of the day. Sanju goes for a tight single, dives at the non-strikers. Would have been close if the fielder had struck. Hooda pushes on again with an uppish drive to long off for a boundary. He tries to cut one next ball only for a flailing Stirling to almost pull off a stunner. What a catch that would have been.

58/1 after Seven overs.

Spin introduced. Gareth Delany gets to roll over his arm. Indian batsmen were brutal against spin the other day, but Hooda and Sanju shows restraint against Delany as he concedes just four runs in his first over.

54/1 after Six overs. End of powerplay.

Craig Young faces Hooda’s wrath straight away as the right-hander steps down the first ball and smashes one beyond the boundary for the second six of the match. Sanju joins the act, flicks a loose one down the leg for an easy four. This duo have settled in with ease and have took the team to 50 with not many risks.  Another boundary for Sanju, drives it through the corridor. Seems like he has set his mind on it today.

39/1 after Five overs.

Josh Little gets another go and second ball offers Hooda a freebie outside off. He doesn’t miss out on those. Crashes it to the fence. But Little strikes back, traps Hooda in front. Hooda reviews straight away. And by the barest of margins he survives. The ball had pitched a fraction outside leg.  He celebrates his reprieve with a beautiful off drive for four. Almost in response to Sanju’s. A slight mixup in the last ball but Hooda returns to the crease safe. No harm done.

30/1 after the Fourth over.

Craig Young introduced into the attack. And he gives away a no ball straight away. Luckily for him, Hooda couldn’t capitalise.  Sanju then produces an elegant off drive for a four. The balance on that shot would put an Olympic gymnast to shame.

21/1 after the Third over.

Deepak Hooda walks in at number three. The Irish bowlers have learned their lessons from the first game. They are keeping things tight and tidy. Hooda finally manages to get one through, but only for a double. Adair finally gives away a loosener and Hooda pulls it away with ease for a six.

Adair continues and he strikes. Ishan Kishan looked to break the shackles and goes for a wild swing, only to edge it to, Lorcan Tucker, the keeper. 13/1 at 2.1.

13/0 after the Second over.

Josh Little given the new ball. The Irish bowlers are showing much better control in comparison to the 1st T20I.  Another four for Sanju. Shortish outside off and Sanju flat bats it to the long on boundary. Didn’t look in control, but four more runs to the side. Just five runs of the second over.

8/0 after the First over

Samson starts off with a four as he cuts one between the slips and short third man. Was it intentional? Doesn’t mater. Adair regains his control and closes out the over with no further damage other than a few singles. Steady start for India.

Mark Adair to start the proceedings for Ireland.

And it is Sanju Samson who gets to open the innings with Ishan Kishan.

With Gaikwad missing out, there is a tiny doubt regarding who will partner Ishan Kishan at the top of the order. Deepak Hooda did produce a commendable job when asked to do it last time. But the team could possibly ask Sanju Samson to go in, considering it is something which he has done in the past.

Harry Tector garnered a lot of praise for his classy innings in the first T20I. He will be looking forward to continue his good touch and with a lot of IPL teams on the look out for potential talents, maybe become the first Irish cricketer to play in the IPL.

Here are the Playing XIs

India: Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Umran Malik.

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Lorcan Tucker (wk), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Craig Young, Joshua Little, Conor Olphert

A huge cheer when Hardik Pandya announced Sanju Samson as Gaikwad’s replacement. Pandya even acknowledging the support for the Rajasthan Royals skipper. Looking forward to seeing how he takes up this challenge.

Three changes to the Indian side. Sanju Samson in for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravi Bishnoi in for Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel in for Avesh Khan.

Hardik Pandya can’t lose a thing at this moment. He wins the toss and decides to bat first. 

Once again, a lot of attention would be on India’s choice of players. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury scare might open the door for Rahul Tripathi or Sanju Samson. Even in the bowling front, there could be a change or two. Let’s see as Pandya walks out to the middle.

5 Minutes from toss. Will Hardik Pandya’s golden touch continue or will the Irish strike back to level the series?

India vs Ireland PREDICTED XI

India Predicted XI:  Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad/Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan/Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal

Ireland Predicted XI: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Craig Young, Joshua Little, Conor Olphert

MATCH PREVIEW

India will be hoping for clear weather and improved performances from rookies like Umran Malik when it clashes with Ireland in the second and final T20, here on Tuesday.

The rain had reduced the series-opener to 12-overs a side contest and it could well be another shortened game considering a rather gloomy forecast for match day.

Ruturaj Gaikwad did not come out to bat on Sunday due to a calf niggle and he could be the only change in the playing eleven if the opener doesn’t regain full fitness.

With a full strength squad to be played in the T20s against England next month, the final match against Ireland presents another opportunity to the younger players to show what they are capable of.

READ:
Mayank Agarwal added to India squad for England Test

Pace sensation Umran Malik will be among those who would be eager to make an impact. It is not fair to judge him by the only over he bowled on Sunday but he was all over the place, indicating that the nerves got the better of him.

It was the sixth over of the innings, the ball was relatively new and 22-year-old Harry Tector made full use of Malik’s extra pace.

Skipper Hardik Pandya has already expressed that Malik is better off bowling with old ball, bringing him into play only after the powerplay.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to pose problems for the Ireland batters again with conditions helping him move the ball both ways. Avesh Khan was not up to the mark in the death overs and he will be looking for a better performance.

READ:
Hardik Pandya: Didn’t want to risk opening with Gaikwad as he had a calf niggle

The Indian bowlers will be wary of the threat posed by Tector. The Irish batter attracted a lot of attention with his fearless play in the first T20 after his team found itself in lot of trouble.

Some of the shots he played fetched praise even from the Indian players. Another explosive knock against the game’s powerhouse might help Tector bag a life-changing IPL contract.

“Some of the shots he played were mind-blowing,” remarked Hardik after the seven wicket win.

Ireland would take a lot of heart from the way it fought back with the bat but its bowlers will need to raise their game against a formidable batting line-up.

The pacers could not find the right length at the start of the innings, giving the Indians easy boundaries.

Craig Young got the ball to swing and seam and his fellow fast bowlers would be inspired by him to put up a better show against the mighty Indians. It is not every day that they get to play a team like India and they would eager to make the most of the opportunity.

READ:
IND vs IRE: Hooda, Hardik lead India to win in rain-hit 1st T20I

Hardik and Hooda, who did well as a makeshift opener in Gaikwad’s absence, targeted off-spinner Andy McBrine in the over that yielded 21 runs. Having served a harsh lesson, McBrine would look to find ways to contain the right-handers.

Suryakumar Yadav’s return to international cricket from an injury lasted only one ball and he will be aiming to get back to his consistent best.

PTI