The Indian cricket team led by Hardik Pandya won a heart-pounding four-run match against Ireland on Tuesday, despite a massive 225 runs on the board in the second T20I at The Village in Dublin. Irish batters scored limits and came close to chasing the total, taking 17 runs from the final to cause a massive upset. India captain Hardik Pandya explained why he gave young speedster Umran Malik the responsibility of bowling the final crucial over of the match.
“I tried to take all the pressure out of my equation. I wanted to be in the present and I supported Umran. He has pace, with his pace it will always be difficult to get 18 runs. They played some great shots, they have very well hit, credit to them and credit to our bowlers for keeping their nerves in check,” Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
The 28-year-old skipper also spoke about playing in Ireland and the huge support from Indian fans. Pandya thanked the fans and said their favorite players were Dinesh Karthik and Sanju Samson as they cheered loudly for them.
“The audience, their favorite guys were Dinesh and Sanju. Great experience to experience this side of the world. A lot of support is coming for us, we try to entertain them and hope we did. Thank you to everyone who supported us said the Indian captain.
“As a kid it’s always a dream to play for your country. Leading and getting the first win was special, now winning the series is special too. Lucky for Deepak and Umran,” he added.
Speaking of the match, the blows from captain Andrew Balbirnie (60), Paul Stirling (40) and Harry Tector (39) were in vain as India grabbed the game in Ireland’s last over and the final ball thriller with won four runs.
promoted
Previously, Deepak Hooda scored 104 and Samson scored 77, while India scored a total of 225/7.
India has won the series 2-0. However, Ireland will go home with many positives as they were in the game until the last ball and gave India a scare of their lives with their percussion.
Topics mentioned in this article