After losing the toss India struggled to fully assert their dominance on a rainy day in Malahide. Having had Ireland 31/5, the flight back started with a smart partnership between Curtis Campher and Mark Adair who struck the ball ferociously. But Campher with the help of Barry McCarthy really got things going with the two putting on 57 off 44.
However after that it just became the Barry McCarthy show with the bowling all-rounder scoring his very first T20I half century with some startling power hitting to get Ireland to a respectable 139.
Captain Jasprit Bumrah who was returning from injury received good support from all his bowlers, most notably Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna. Bumrah himself finished with 2/24 as he looks to prove his fitness before the Cricket World Cup.
With ball in Ireland’s hands, Paul Stirling burned a few reviews in the hope of quick wickets if DLS was to decide the game early. It was aggressive. Just as aggressive as Ireland playing five front line bowlers. Both chances were off Little who got just enough swing with suitable nip. But the threat of rain and an early finish just spurred India on. Wunderkind Yashasvi Jaiswal especially relished the challenge.
When it rains it pours. Suddenly Craig Young took one then immediately another to open things up. India though were still ahead of the DLS score by two runs when sent off by the umpires at 47/2 off 6.5.
That was all she wrote. Indeed it was a minor miracle, and an incredible effort from the ground staff, that a game was played at all.
Ireland will take quite a bit from this going forward into the second Joy-E Bike T20I. The fight shown in particular. However confidence man Barry McCarthy will take quite a bit more, and then some into the next game.
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🏏🇮🇳 Exciting match! India showed resilience against Ireland’s spirited fight. Barry McCarthy’s performance was outstanding! Looking forward to the next game! 🌧️ #Cricket #IndiaVsIreland