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Royal Stag Fan
6 June 2024
India took on Ireland in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024 on June 5th at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. India emerged victorious by 8 wickets in a low-scoring game that saw standout performances from captain Rohit Sharma with the bat and Jasprit Bumrah with the ball.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first on a green pitch that assisted swing and seam bowling. The Indian pacers exploited the favourable conditions to perfection, bowling tight lines and getting the ball to move around.
Bumrah was especially lethal, picking up 2 wickets for just 6 runs in his 3 overs and constantly beating the batsmen with pace and bounce.
Hardik Pandya was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up 3/27 in his 4-over quota, dismantling the top order with some beautiful deliveries. Siraj provided great support from the other end, taking 1/13 in his 3 overs.
The Irish batsmen never got going as wickets kept tumbling regularly. Gareth Delany top scored with 26 runs down the order as the other batsmen struggled against the Indian pacers. Some late flourish from the tail helped Ireland limp to 96 all out in 16 overs.
Chasing 97, India lost Virat Kohli early, but captain Rohit Sharma anchored the innings superbly. He took his time at the start, gauging the variable bounce before unleashing his array of strokes. Rohit brought up his 30th T20I fifty and, in the process, broke a few records:
With this win, Rohit Sharma surpassed MS Dhoni's tally of 42 wins to become India's most successful T20I captain. Rohit's achievement exemplifies his brilliant leadership skills and tactical nous as captain over the years. With India scheduled to play more T20I matches in the coming months, Rohit has a good chance to move up further on the list of successful T20I captains. For now, his record of 43 wins as Indian T20I captain is a phenomenal achievement.
Rohit also surpassed West Indies legend The Universal Boss Chris Gayle to become the batsman with the most sixes in international cricket, with 600 maximums. He effortlessly hit three sixes in the match, showcasing his trademark pulling and hooking.
Rohit's solid 52-run contribution off 37 balls provided the ideal platform for India to chase down the target comfortably in the 13th over. His maturity and experience were invaluable on a difficult pitch.
Jasprit Bumrah was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match for his phenomenal bowling spell that broke Ireland's back early on. His immaculate line, probing length and use of bouncers on the spicy New York pitch made life extremely difficult for the Irish batsmen.
Bumrah generated prodigious bounce and movement off the surface to keep the batsmen hopping. He finished with excellent figures of 2/6 in 3 overs, conceding zero boundaries. It was a masterclass display of fast bowling by Bumrah, as he constantly hit the perfect length while the pitch did the rest.
Ireland's bowlers challenged Rohit early on with a few edges off Mark Adair and Josh Little. Adair eventually broke through by tempting Kohli into a loose shot that was caught in the deep.
However, India's middle order held firm as Rohit and Pant steadied the innings with a quickfire 54-run partnership. Even after Rohit retired hurt after a milestone-laden half-century, Pant took over.
Suryakumar fell cheaply but Pant finished things off in style. He delighted the pro-India crowd in New York by audaciously reverse-scooping the winning runs over the keeper's head. It was an innings that demonstrated Pant's fearless approach and natural attacking flair.
India started their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign strongly with a comfortable win over Ireland. Their bowlers excelled on a helpful pitch before Rohit and Pant guided them home in the chase.
The action now shifts to the highly anticipated marquee clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on 9th June, check the t20 world cup 2024 schedule here. With strong performances in all departments, India will be hoping to keep their winning momentum going in the rest of the tournament.
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