All-round show by India in big win over Ireland

dublin — The India supporters who turned up in their thousands in the Malahide sunshine were treated to a batting and bowling masterclass by their heroes in the first T20 international against Ireland on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan put on 160 for the first wicket in exactly 16 overs but after a superb last over by Peter Chase, when he claimed the three prize wickets of MS Dhoni, Sharma and Virat Kohli in four balls, India finished on 208 for five.

Later Kuldeep Yadav (4-21), Yuzvendra Chahal (3-38) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-19) restricted Ireland to 132 for 9.

More than half of the 8,000 crowd were supporting the visitors and they were disappointed to see Suresh Raina come to the wicket instead of their captain at the fall of the first wicket.

But they went wild when Dhoni marched to the middle when Raina holed out to deep square for just 10.

They were ecstatic when he pulled his first ball to the long leg boundary and followed up with a flat, straight six.

Kohli did have to come to the middle when Sharma was caught at deep mid-wicket, three short of his third T20 century but with Chase in full cry, he lasted only two balls as the Ireland pace bowler finished with four for 35 — his best figures in any format for Ireland.

The opening partnership was the fourth highest in T20 internationals and just five runs short of India’s best between Sharma and KL Rahul, set just six months ago against Sri Lanka.

Kevin O’Brien, fresh from his century in Ireland’s inaugural Test against Pakistan, broke the stand when Dhawan was caught at longon for 74 from 45 balls with five fours and five sixes.

Sharma’s 97 came off 61 balls with eight fours and five sixes.

Rahul and Dinesh Karthik were left out of India’s line-up, replaced by Raina and Manish Pandey while Ireland omitted Test captain William Porterfield and recalled paceman Boyd Rankin. —