Ireland vs India: Hardik Padya's men eye 2-0 series sweep in another opportunity for young stars to shine
India Today
A confident Indian side, led by Hardik Pandya, will look to extend their dominance over Ireland when the two teams meet in the 2nd and final T20I in Dublin on Tuesday, June 28.
Hardik Pandya will look to claim his first series win as India captain as the white-ball team takes on Ireland in the 2nd and final T20i at the Malahide Cricket Club on Tuesday, June 28. India are leading 1-0 after having clinched a comfortable 7-wicket win over the hosts on Sunday.
India will be hoping rain stays away and they can get the full quota of 20 overs after the first T20I was curtailed due to wet weather in Dublin. India chased down 109 runs in just 9.2 overs as Deepak Hooda and captain Hardik shone with the bat in a 12-overs-per-side contest.
With India focussing on testing their bench strength and giving game time to the youngsters, head coach VVS Laxman and Hardik will love to see a 20-over contest on Tuesday.
India ticked all the right boxes in the opening T20I as they extended their unbeaten record against Ireland. Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shone with the ball even as Harry Tector, a 22-year-old Ireland batter impressed with a 33-ball 64 that propelled the hosts to 108 in 12 overs.
Ishan Kishan continued to impress at the top while Deepak Hooda, who opened after an injury scare to Ruturaj Gaikwad, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, hitting an unbeaten 47 after captain Hardik smashed 24 in just 12 deliveries.
India are likely to take a call on Ruturaj's availability as Hardik stressed he wouldn't want to risk aggravating the youngster's issue. If Ruturraj doesn't regain full fitness, India might bring in Sanju Samson or give Rahul Tripathi his maiden India cap.
Sanju Samson was impressive for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022 but he was not picked for the home series against South Africa. So was Rahul Tripathi who was the leading scorer for SunRisers Hyderabad in the recently-concluded IPL season.
