Belfast: Immaculate Ireland bowlers gnawed on Indian batters’ impatience on a rather pacy pitch with exemplary lengths, etching a historic 34-run victory in the first T20I match here on Friday.
It was Ireland’s first-ever victory over reigning T20 world champions India in any format, and the hosts have now taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Chasing 183 on a pitch that had enough assistance for quick bowlers was not improbable but needed a different, pragmatic approach after power play.
But none of them had the patience, as India ended up at 148 all out, despite Abhishek Sharma making a 20-ball 50.
Debutant pacer Jai Moondra (2/26) inflicted the first blow on his country of origin, eliciting an inside on to the stumps from Sanju Samson.
The Irish bowlers continued to pull the length back as Indians perished with alarming regularity.
Ishan Kishan went for a trademark hack to leg-side off Matt Hollard (3/28) and Lorcan Tucker completed a simple catch inside the circle.
Shreyas Iyer’s first match as India’s full-time T20 skipper ended horribly wrong, and his batting failure added to the gloominess.
Iyer attempted a flick off Hollard but could not impart force or distance to the pace-off delivery, getting caught in the deep by George Dockrell.
India scored 68 in the power play but had lost three wickets.
However, Abhishek played a gem, a 20-ball fifty, as wickets tumbled around him, and punished pacer Liam McCarthy for four boundaries in the third over as India breezed ahead.
But the left-hander found Ben Calitz with surgical precision through a pull off McCarthy, bringing a smile to Ireland players’ faces.
Those smiles only widened once Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube went without making much of an impact.
The final nail was thudded on India’s coffin when Arshdeep Singh fell to Matthew Humphreys, leaving the Irish camp in a joyous huddle.
No debut for Sooryavanshi
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Earlier, Indian pacers stuck to hard lengths and preyed on the aggressive tendencies of Ireland batters, limiting them to 182 for nine.
The much-anticipated international debut for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not happen, but the full house at Stormont ground had enough to cheer for as India, led by Harshit Rana (3/24) dominated from ball one.
Ireland skipper Tucker made a half-century (50, 36 balls) but it was largely a lone hand.
The Indian quicks did not try to pitch the ball up and search for swing, as many would expect in these conditions.
But they placed their belief in back of the length deliveries and were rewarded handsomely.
In the power play segment, the wickets of Tim Tector, Harry Tector and Ross Adair reduced the home side to 30 for three, and Ireland could only score 36 in the first six overs.
Tim and Adair went for pull shots, and gave catches to Iyer and Samson respectively.
Both fell to Rana and his intensity in the first match after recovering from a four-month injury lay-off might have pleased the team management.
Harry went for a drive when Arshdeep (2/28) offered a rare fuller delivery, resulting in a simple catch to Samson.
Dube too reaped benefits of shorter length, getting rid of Calitz, who had extracted two sixes off Prasidh Krishna.
Ireland were 51 for four then, but Tucker realised 64 runs for the fifth wicket to rescue them from a precarious position.
Tucker was slow to begin, but the right-hander soon slipped into his aggressive, innovative self to give his side a move-on.
Tucker tucked into left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/33) in the 13th over, smashing 4, 4, 6 and he fetched his fifty in 35 balls.
There was also a lovely scoop of Prasidh Krishna, who was expensive (0/57), for a boundary.
But Tucker’s pull off a pace-off, short delivery from Rana ended in the hands of Tilak Varma in the deep.
Ireland were 115 for five then.
However, Delany and George Dockrell added 49 runs between overs 14.3 and 17.1 to take them past 150.
Delany (49) was severe on Prasidh whose lengths went awry in his last over. The powerful right-hander hammered the pacer for 4, 6, 6, 6 in the 16th over to take 27 runs from it.
Washington Sundar too gave away 19 runs in his solitary over, and those three overs by him, Prasidh and Axar made a huge difference in the eventual calculation.
