The Indian cricket team defeated Ireland by 7 wickets in a match that ended at 1:20 pm on Sunday, 26 June 2022 at The Village Ground in Dublin. In this way they took a 1-0 lead in the 2-match series. Deepak Hooda opened the innings for India in the match. He played an unbeaten innings of 47 runs in 29 balls. Apart from this, Ishan Kishan scored 26 runs in 11 balls with the help of 3 fours and 2 sixes and captain Hardik Pandya scored 24 runs in 12 balls with the help of one four and three sixes.
Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to bowl. The toss was delayed due to drizzle. After the toss, there was a delay in the start of the match due to intermittent rain again and again. Later the match was reduced to 12-12 overs. Batting first, Ireland scored 108 for 4 in 12 overs on the back of an unbeaten 64 by Harry Tector. India achieved the target (111 runs in 9.2 overs) for the loss of 3 wickets with 16 balls to spare.
Deepak Hooda hit six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten innings. He got great support from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Craig Young took two and Josh Little took one wicket for Ireland. Chasing the target, opener Ishan Kishan showed his intentions against Josh Little in the first over itself by hitting fours, sixes and then fours in successive deliveries. After this, he welcomed Craig Young in the third over with fours and sixes.
Craig Young tried to return Ireland in the match by sending Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to the pavilion in two consecutive balls. Hardik, who came to bat after Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, opened the account with a four. Deepak Hooda gave a glimpse of his brilliant rhythm in the fourth over by hitting two fours on Mark Adder. After four overs of powerplay, India’s score was 45 for two.
Hardik hit two and Hooda hit a six and scored 21 runs from the over against spinner Andy McBrine, who came to bowl in the sixth over. Conor Olfert, making his Ireland debut, was welcomed by Hooda for a six. He completed the half-century of the third wicket partnership with Hardik by hitting a four against Little in the eighth over. Hardik became leg before after hitting a six in the same over.
Deepak Hooda gave the team victory by hitting a four in the first two balls of the 10th over. Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on five off four balls. Earlier in this match, fast bowler Umran Malik got a chance to make his debut.
Ireland’s Tector hit six fours and three sixes in his 33-ball unbeaten knock. He laid the foundation for a competitive score with a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Lorcan Tucker (18) after falling three for 22.
For India, experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 16 wickets in three overs and Yuzvendra Chahal took 1-1 wickets for 11 runs in the same over. Yuzvendra Chahal was adjudged player of the match. Hardik Pandya (26 runs in two overs) and Avesh Khan (22 runs in two overs) got one success each.
Umran, making his debut, got a chance to bowl an over. In this he spent 14 runs. In the first over itself, Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed the way to the pavilion without opening the account to Ireland captain Andy Belberi.
Captain Hardik got Paul Stirling (four runs) caught in the second over by Deepak Hooda, fielding at mid-off. In the fourth over, the charge for bowling was welcomed by Harry Tector with a four. However, this bowler got Gareth Delaney (eight runs) caught by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik on the 5th ball of the over.
After the powerplay of four overs, the team were in trouble for three for 23 but Tector showed his aggressive intentions by hitting two fours against Axar Patel and then a four and six against Umran in the sixth over. Harry Tucker, who was batting at the other end, hit sixes in two consecutive balls against Hardik in the eighth over.
In the next over, he caught Axar in an attempt to hit a big shot against Chahal. Tector then hit a four and a six against Bhuvneshwar in the 10th over. He completed his third half-century of T20 International career in 30 balls with a run off the first ball of Avesh in the last over. He then took the team’s score beyond 100 runs by hitting fours and sixes.