India vs Ireland Highlights 2nd T20: India beat Ireland by four runs in high scoring encounter

With 17 to defend in the final over, Umran Malik holds on to his nerve and concedes just 12 runs in his final over, which also included a no ball. India win by four wickets and seal the series 2-0. However, it was a brilliant fight by Ireland keeping the fans on the edge of their seats until the final ball. What a show!

Umran Malik delivers a perfect yorker in the fifth ball, but Ireland sneak a single in the form of byes. 

The final ball is hit square of the wicket, but just one run come off it as Ireland finish 221/5 in 20 overs. India win by four runs. 

The extra pace of Umran Malik helps the ball fly past the slip fielder as Adair gets another boundary. He then delivers a length delivery, which takes a bottom edge and ends in a single. IRE: 219/5 (19.4 overs) | need 7 runs in 2 balls

Mark Adair gets beaten twice, but the bowler oversteps. Free-hit for Ireland and Adair hits it for a four towards the cover region. IRE: 214/5 (19.2 overs) | need 12 runs in 4 balls

The final over and Umran Malik starts off with a dot. Equation 17 off 5 balls. IRE: 209/5(19.1 overs)

Mark Adair hits Harshal Patel for a four and follows it up with a six. The batter, however, misses out on a fulltoss, which ends in a single. 14 runs come off it as Ireland reach 209/5 after 19 overs. They need 17 runs in 6 balls.

Not the ideal finish but Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls an excellent final over as just seven runs and a wicket come of it. The bowler bowls a fulltoss, which is hit for a four by Dockrell in the final ball. IRE: 195/5 (18 overs)

Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar concedes 46 runs in his four-over quota

Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes. Harry Tector is caught at long-on by Deepak Hooda as Ireland lose their 5th wicket. He departs for 39(28).

Harshal Patel once again misses his length and ends up delivering a fulltoss, which is smoked for a six by George Dockrell. 

The bowler recovers well, which is something expected from Harshal, and concedes just two runs in the next three balls. However, Dockrell ends the over with another six as Ireland reach 188/4 after 17 overs. They need 38 runs in 18 balls. 

Another expensive over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he concedes 10 runs in it. Harry Tector hits the seamer for two 4s as Ireland race to 174/4 after 16 overs. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar has conceded 39 runs in the three overs he has bowled so far.

Maiden international wicket for Umran Malik as Lorcan Tucker is caught at long-on by substitue fielder Yuzvendra Chahal at long on. He departs for 5(9). 

Ravi Bishnoi then concedes 17 runs in the following over as Ireland race to 164/4 after 15 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi concedes two fours in his third over as 11 runs come off it. IRE: 135/3 (13 overs) | need 91 runs in 42 balls

Andrew Balbirnie’s stay in the middle finally comes to an end. The batter hits Harshal Patel for a four and a six, before a short and wide delivery does the trick. 

The batter tries to chase it down and in the process hits it straight to Ravi Bishnoi at deep point. He departs for 60(37), which include three 4s and seven 6s. 

Meanwhile, Axar Patel concedes five runs in the following over as Ireland reach 124/3 after 12 overs.

Andrew Balbirnie welcomes Axar Patel with a four and ends his over with a single to bring up his 50 in 34 balls. IRE: 107/2 after 10 overs.

Ireland reach 100 in nine overs as Andrew Balbirnie hits Umran Malik for a six and a four. 14 runs comes in his over. IRE: 100/2 (9 overs). They need 126 runs in 66 balls with Balbirnie batting on 44 off 29 balls.  

Umran Malik concedes a six in his first over and bowls five dots, which also include a run-out by Hardik Pandya. The captain knocks the stumps with a direct-hit at the non-striking end as Gareth Delany is well short of his crease. He departs for 0(4). 

In the following over bowled by Ravi Bishnoi, the spinner manages to get Balbirnie stumped but the bowler oversteps, handing Ireland captain a reprieve. 

Seven runs come off the over as Ireland reach 86/2 after 8 overs.

A ball after DRS saves Paul Stirling, Ravi Bishnoi cleans the right-handed batter with a googly. The batter tries to play it across the line and doesn’t make any contact as the ball knocks the stump. Big breakthrough for India as the batter departs on 40 (18). 

Meanwhile, Ireland reach 73/1 after the powerplay overs.

After expensive overs by Hardik and Bhuvneshwar, India opt for their first bowling change. 

Harshal Patel starts off well but ends up conceding two sixes in his final two deliveries, out of which one came in a no-ball due to height. Ireland race to 65/0 after 5 overs.

Hardik Pandya continues from the other end. He starts off with a leg bye, a dot, before Andrew Balbirnie charges down and hits a length ball over the cover fence for a six. 

Paul Stirling, on the other hand, continues his show and pulls a short ball by Pandya for a four.

13 runs come off the over as Ireland race to 50/0 after 4 overs. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar misses his length and ends up bowling a fulltoss on Stirling’s pads, who clips it past the fine leg fielder placed inside the circle for a four. 

Meanwhile, Andrew Balbirnie, on the other end, is struggling to get off the mark before he dispatches a length ball for a six over the onside boundary. 

11 runs come off the over as Ireland reach 37/0 after 3 overs. 

Hardik Pandya starts off with a eight-run over, which include a six from Paul Stirling. Ireland reach 26/0 after two overs.

Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie walk out in the middle to start the run-chase. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will open the attack for India. 

Stirling hits the seamer for three consecutive 4s and a six as 18 runs come of the over.

A decent final over by Mark Adair as he picks a wicket and concedes 10 runs in it. Harshal Patel is the man dismissed. India, on the other hand, post a gigantic 225/7 after 20 overs. Hardik Pandya returns unbeaten on 15(9). 

Craig Young picks two wickets in consecutive balls as Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel fail to open their account. Meanwhile, India reach 217/6 after 19 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav falls cheaply again. He was looking for the big hits and is dismissed on 15(5) by Joshua Little. The batter is caught-behind as he tries to nudge a delivery on the leg stump past the wicketkeeper. 

Little strikes again and this time he dismisses Deepak Hooda. The batter is dismissed on 104(57) as he tried to chase a wide ball and play it over the fence. IND: 212/4 (18 overs)

Deepak Hooda slams his maiden T20I hundred. He gets to the milestone with a single and takes just 55 balls to reach the three-figure mark. The batter has so far hit eight 4s and six 6s.

Mark Adair breaks the partnership between Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda. The pacer cleans up Samson on 77(42). 

Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter in and he gets into the action straightaway. Hits the bowler for a six and then a misfield, which costs Ireland a boundary as India sail past the 200-run mark in 17 overs.

Some respite for Ireland as just six runs come off the over bowled by Craig Young. Meanwhile, the stand between Hooda and Samson is the highest partnership for any wicket for India in T20Is. IND: 183/1 (16 overs)

Sanju Samson joins the party as he hits Gareth Delany for consecutive sixes. 19 runs come off the over. IND: 177/1 (15 overs)

The carnage from Deepak Hooda on Irish bowlers continues. Hooda hits Conor Olphert for a six and then gets another boundary square of the wicket.

The bowler also bowls three extras in the over as 20 runs come off it. IND: 158/1 (14 overs)

Sanju Samson hits a short ball by Gareth Delany at the mid-wicket region to bring up his 50. He completes the milestone in 31 balls as India reach 138/1 after 13 overs.

Conor Olphert is brought into the attack and it’s his turn to face the wrath of Deepak Hooda. The batter hits the seamer for a four and follows it up with a six. He then finishes the over with a beautiful inside out that ends up in the boundary ropes after a couple of bounces. IND: 129/1 (12 overs)

Deepak Hooda continues his attacking approach as Ireland get Joshua Little back into the attack. The batter hits him for two 4s as India reach 110/1 after 11 overs.

Andy McBrine is introduced in the attack and Deepak Hooda hits the spinner for two huge sixes. He then takes a single in the final over to complete his 50. Hooda reaches the milestone in 27 balls. IND: 97/1 (10 overs)

Sanju Samson hits the ball straight to Gareth Delany on his followthrough, who gets his hands but fails to hold on to it. 

Following the missed chance, Samson hits the spinner for a four and then whacks him for a huge six. 15 runs come off the over. India race to 81/1 in 9 overs.

Just when the boundaries dried up, Deepak Hooda plays a beautiful aerial drive straight over the bowlers head for a couple of bounces and a four. Eight runs come off the over bowled by Conor Olphert as India reach 66/1 after 8 overs. 

The duo also bring up their 50-run partnership.

Ireland introduce spin in the form of Gareth Delany. The batters happily rotate the strike as just four runs come off it. IND: 58/1 (7 overs)

Craig Young comes to bowl the final powerplay over and Deepak Hooda welcomes him with a huge SIX. The batter charges down and hits him straight over the long-off fence. 

Samson then flicks a loose delivery for a boundary and then finishes the over with another four. 

India reach 54/1 after 6 overs. 

Joshua Little bowls a good length ball and it beats Deepak Hooda and knocks him on his pads, which is given LBW by the umpire. The batter immediately takes a review and TV replay confirms the ball was pitching outside the leg stump line. 

Meanwhile, Hooda hits the bowler for two fours as nine runs come off the over. IND: 39/1 (5 overs)

A cracking shot by Sanju Samson against Craig Young. The batter leans forward and drills it towards the mid-off region for a four. 

Nine runs come in the over bowled by Young as India reach 30/1 after 4 overs.

Mark Adair tries to finish his over with a short delivery by his hit for a SIX by Deepak Hooda. He deposits it outside the ground as a wicket and eight runs come off it. IND: 21/1 (3 overs)

Ishan Kishan dances down the track and edges it behind for a simple catch. He departs for 3(5) as Mark Adair provides Ireland with an early breakthrough. IND: 13/1 (2.1 overs)

Joshua Little bangs it short and Samsons plays it towards the mid-on region for another boundary. Every run coming off Sanju’s bat is followed by a huge cheer from the crowd. 

Meanwhile, just five runs come off the over as India reach 13/0 after 2 overs.

Adair pitches is good length, slightly wide of the off stump and Samson opens the face of his bat, gets a thick outside edge as the ball runs away for a four behind the wickets.

Eight runs come off the first over. 

Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson will kick-off the proceedings. Mark Adair will lead the attack for Ireland. 

A full house and promising conditions for a complete 20-over contest. The action will get underway shortly.

The last time Sanju Samson featured in India’s T20 side was against Sri Lanka in February earlier this year. He had then scored 18 off 12 balls. Samson had then featured in all the three T20Is and had accumulated 57 runs from two innings.

Ireland pacer Craig Young is playing his 50th T20I.

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Craig Young, Joshua Little, Conor Olphert

India: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Umran Malik

Hardik Pandya has once again won the toss, so that makes it two in a row. India have opted to bat first.

Despite being overcast and windy at the moment, the good news is that it’s dry at the moment. Hardik Pandya is out in the center for the toss. 

The Indian team are all set and the toss will take place shortly. Stay tuned for further updates!

Following the opening encounter, captain Hardik Pandya had revealed that Ruturaj Gaikwad had a niggle in his calf, and it was because of this India tried a new opening combination. 

So if Gaikwad is still injured, it could open the gates for Sanju Samson, who would be itching to make a comeback in to the Indian playing XI. 

Samson was in good touch in the recent edition of the IPL, so this opportunity could play as a audition for the Kerala batter to present his case with the World Cup scheduled to be played later this year. 

Suryakumar Yadav made a return to the nation team following his injury in the first encounter, however, the comeback was not as good as it was expected by his fans. The middle-order batter was trapped LBW by Craig Young on a golden duck. 

Today, the right-handed batter will eye for a much improved show, which would be crucial for him to cement his position in the playing XI with the T20 World Cup approaching fast. 

With an unassailable 1-0 lead, it will be interesting to see if India hand debut to Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Tripathi. 

Arshdeep has been with the team since the previous series against South Africa, while Tripathi earned his maiden call-up to the national side in this series.

India tried a new opening combination in the first encounter, with Deepak Hooda kicking things off with Ishan Kishan. Hooda in fact remained unbeaten and guided India through a stiff chase of 109. He scored 47 off 29 balls, as India wrapped up the chase in 9.2 overs. 

Will India stick with the same pair, or will Ruturaj Gaikwad return to his usual spot?

The weather was very fickle the other day and today we have slight better conditions and can expect a full 20-over of play from both the sides. 

However, conditions will remain overcast and we’ll hope there are no rain interruptions this time around.

Hector Tucker, the 22-year-old Irish batter, put a solid show in the opening encounter. He scored an unbeaten 64 off 33 deliveries, during which he smashed six 4s and three 6s. 

India captain Hardik Pandya too acknowledged his efforts and gifted him a bat after the match. “I’ve given him a bat so maybe he can score some more sixes and maybe get an IPL contract, and I wish him luck,” Pandya had said about him after the match. 

“Just look after him well, give him the right guidance. It’s not always about cricket; it’s about understanding your whole lifestyle and what is there at stake. If you can manage that, I’m sure he’s going to be around – not just in IPL, in all the leagues in the world,” the Indian skipper added.   

The first encounter was a rain curtailed contest. The weather frustrated the fans but as many expected that the day might get wash out, a significant amount of play was possible and India won the match by 7 wickets. 

Hector Tucker gave the home side a good opportunity to eke an upset against a heavyweight Indian unit, however, a splendid knock by Deepak Hooda foiled Ireland plans.

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage of the 2nd T20I between India and Ireland. India currently lead the series 1-0. The match is scheduled to start at 9:00 pm IST. Stay tuned for LIVE updates!