T20 World Cup 2024: India begin campaign with a win against Ireland
India easily defeated Ireland in their first match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, driven by their pace group, which shared nine wickets. They first restricted Ireland to 96 runs before captain Rohit Sharma‘s fifty helped them complete the chase without any hiccups.
For the second game in a row, the pitch in New York proved unsuitable for run-fests. While Sri Lanka was bowled out for 78 against South Africa a couple of nights ago on the same pitch, it was Ireland’s turn to face the heat tonight.
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T20 WC India vs Ireland: India pacers proved unplayable
Ireland lost the toss, were inserted, and scored 19 more runs than Sri Lanka, but were still all out in 16 overs. Whoever bats first in matches at this ground is likely to struggle.
The pitch played a role, but India’s trio of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah, and Pandya earn their credit for bowling with ferocious aggression and a good amount of talent.
Harry Tector, in particular, suffered a beating before being bowled by a snorter from Bumrah, which reared up and brushed his glove before striking him on the helmet and being caught by Kohli.
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Gareth Delany made good use of the long handle as Ireland scored 96 before a run-out ended a disastrous innings on a difficult ground.
T20 WC India vs Ireland: Rohit, Pant help India chase down target easily
The surface showed no signs of easing up when India went in to chase. Virat Kohli was caught at third man after attempting a huge hit.
His opening partner, skipper Rohit Sharma, struggled against Mark Adair, especially when he was put down at slip. However, he was able to save the balls that flew past the bat and continue to hit timely boundaries. He hit four of India’s five in the powerplay, keeping the chase moving at a decent pace.
Rohit Sharma kicked off his campaign with a well-earned fifty, shifting gears with a couple of pull shots. He had good company in Rishabh Pant, who stayed undefeated on 36 as the pair put on a 69-run partnership.
Even during this partnership, the pitch made an impression on both batters, who were hit off steep bounce from unusual distances. Nonetheless, India overcame these hurdles to win by a huge margin.
