Indian captain Rohit Sharma displayed his brilliance with a superb half-century, guiding his team to a successful chase of the modest target of 97. Unfortunately, Sharma had to retire hurt after scoring 52 runs off 37 balls.
India faced setback when Virat Kohli dismissed
India faced an early setback when Virat Kohli was dismissed for just 1 run off 5 balls. However, Rishabh Pant, promoted to the number three spot, rose to the occasion on a tricky batting surface.
He sealed the victory with a spectacular and unconventional six, remaining unbeaten on 36 from 26 balls. India secured the win with 7.4 overs and eight wickets to spare.
Earlier in the day, India’s bowlers delivered an outstanding performance on a favourable pitch, dismantling Ireland and bowling them out for just 96 in their Group A match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Hardik Pandya was impressive, claiming 3 wickets for 27 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional as well, taking 2 wickets for just 6 runs in his 3 overs.
Arshdeep Singh made an impact with the new ball but was a bit costly towards the end, finishing with figures of 2 for 35 from his 4 overs.
Ireland struggled with the bat, with only four players reaching double digits. Gareth Delany provided a brief spark with a quick 26 off 14 balls, helping his team reach a total that offered their bowlers a glimmer of hope.
India’s top-ranked men’s T20 team faced off against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with high hopes of ending a 17-year wait for a Men’s T20 World Cup trophy under the guidance of Rahul Dravid. After winning the toss, India opted to bowl first.
Captain Rohit Sharma selected a lineup featuring five front-line bowlers, including pacers Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh, alongside spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
It’s toss time in New York! 🪙
India win the toss and opt to bowl first against Ireland.#T20WorldCup | #INDvIRE | 📝: https://t.co/dBO7syKOHW pic.twitter.com/XjvbYtSak6
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 5, 2024
On a pitch that heavily favoured the bowlers, India’s pacers took early control. Arshdeep Singh, in particular, was highly effective with the new ball.
The conditions were so favourable for seam bowling that India decided to use Hardik Pandya ahead of their spin options. Pandya’s impact was immediate and significant; he finished his four-over spell with impressive figures of 3/27.
Pandya’s wickets included the only two Ireland top-order batsmen who managed to reach double figures: Lorcan Tucker, who scored 10, and Curtis Campher, who made 12. The dominance of India’s bowlers set a strong foundation for their performance in the match.
Ireland’s batters found it difficult to handle India’s bowling attack, with Jasprit Bumrah being particularly challenging. Bumrah gave away only four runs in his first two overs and took the crucial wicket of Harry Tector.
An all-round display from India in New York earns them two valuable #T20WorldCup 2024 points 👏#INDvIRE | 📝: https://t.co/YmX1ZqPteL pic.twitter.com/wYpO7HeQQf
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 5, 2024
Despite being eight wickets down with plenty of overs left, Gareth Delany and Josh Little adopted an aggressive approach, adding 27 runs in just 18 balls to give Ireland something to defend.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma brought Bumrah back into the attack to stop the run flow, and he delivered by bowling Little (14) out with a perfect yorker. With the last batsman at the other end, Delany went after Arshdeep Singh, scoring some late runs.
However, the innings ended in a chaotic fashion as Delany was run out on a free hit while trying to complete a second run, aiming to retain strike for the next over.
India was set a target of 97 runs
India was set a target of 97 runs to win, which seemed achievable despite the tricky Nassau County pitch.
Ireland created several early opportunities in their hunt for wickets. Rohit Sharma had a couple of close calls, edging deliveries from Mark Adair and Josh Little.
Adair eventually got the breakthrough, luring Virat Kohli into a mistimed shot into the deep, resulting in Kohli’s dismissal for just 1 run off 5 balls.
It’s a sea of blue in New York! 🌊😍#T20WorldCup | #INDvIRE pic.twitter.com/R1J8ttX7Jv
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 5, 2024
However, Ireland couldn’t make further inroads into India’s batting lineup as Rohit and Rishabh Pant formed a solid partnership. They added 54 runs from 44 balls, effectively setting up the chase.
There was a moment of concern for India when Rohit walked off the field with a suspected shoulder injury after scoring his half-century. By then, he had also reached significant career milestones of 4000 T20 runs and 1000 T20 World Cup runs.
After Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 2 runs by Ben White, it was Pant who sealed the victory. He hit the winning runs with a spectacular shot, giving the Indian fans in New York plenty to celebrate.
