The first game of any major tournament is a critical one. It sets the tone for the rest of the competition and gets players motivated and ready to confront the challenges ahead. Thus a win is always good. And that is what India, one of the favorites going into the ICC World T20 2024 managed in the game against Ireland.
Whilst the result was really in doubt, the focus was on how well will India perform in their opening game of the tournament. And for India fans, we have good news. The team steamrolled the opposition and achieved a comfortable 8-wicket win. Whilst it was not perfect it was a win nonetheless.
India – The Bowlers Doing Their Job Against Ireland
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Ireland are no pushovers in the international game. And in International cricket, particularly in ICC tournaments, there is always that upset waiting to happen. Either the favorites underperformed and let the opposition getaway, or the minnows put up a few great performances and turned the pressure back on the big side. This was not to be.
India’s pacers set to work dismantling Ireland’s top order. Having lost 2 quick wickets, the Irish never looked like a settled side that could get on top of the opposition. Jasprit Bumrah had a great outing as usual, picking up 2 wickets in 3 overs and giving away only six runs. In terms of wickets taken, the pick was Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain who justified his selection with a solid bowling performance.
Besides Gareth Delany none of the Irish batters got going and the team was soon bundled out for 96 in sixteen overs. Not a challenging target by any means for the powerful Indian lineup, and chasing a score of less than 100 was not going to be a challenge for the strong Indian lineup.
The Chase for India – A Walk in the Park Mostly
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India’s chase went off nearly perfectly. The debate surrounding who would open for Indians was answered with Virat Kohli stepping into the role alongside captain Rohit Sharma. Sharma got off to a characteristic start, but Kohli failed. Being dismissed for 1 off 5. With one down Rishab Pant made the surprising entry at 3 whilst there had been some speculation on what role the dynamic left-hander would play, this position seems to fit him well.
Somewhat concerning for the South Asian team’s dressing room was a hit to the upper arm of captain Rohit Sharma, which resulted in the player retiring hurt. Reports indicate that the injury is not serious and that the captain will be ready to go come the next game. On the plus side, it was good for the Indian captain to get a score under his belt. Having struggled during the second half of the IPL 2024, this 52 in 37 was a good start.
The other top-order batsman dismissed cheaply was Suryakumar Yadav who made only 2. But other than that it was a solid overall performance from the South Asian team. And a win as expected. The question is what does the team have in store when it comes up against tougher opposition? But the early signs are good for now.
Also Read: Rohit Reveals He Tried To Convince Dravid To Stay On As Coach
About the Author
Damian Thar writes on a range of topics. In addition to his professional work, he writes essays on subjects like philosophy, history, and culture. He also writes and edits books and in his free time, he makes YouTube videos on topics like religion, theology, and current events. You can find his work here.
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