3 best bowling performances for India vs Ireland in T20Is
Team India is set to travel to Ireland for a three-match T20I series. All three encounters are scheduled to be played at the Village Stadium in Dublin. The opening T20I will be played on Friday, August 18.
India, who named a second-string side for the tour, will give a lot of opportunities to youngsters, who will push themselves into the reckoning for next year's T20 World Cup.
However, the headline-grabbing story of the series will be the return of Jasprit Bumrah, who was out for more than 10 months due to a stress fracture. He will also captain the Indian unit.
Ireland and India have squared off five times in T20Is, with India coming out on top on every occasion. Some Indian players produced outstanding bowling efforts during those games.
On that note, here are three top bowling spells by Indian cricketers against Ireland in T20Is.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal - 3/21 in 2018
India toured Ireland for a two-game T20I series just before their all-format tour to England in 2018. The visitors completed a whitewash in the series when they also won the second T20I by a huge margin of 143 runs.
After India scored 213/4 in the first innings, Yuzvendra Chahal bamboozled the Irish batters in the second innings. Umesh Yadav picked up two wickets inside the first three overs to reduce Ireland to 22/3.
Chahal then built the pressure on the Irish middle-order as he bagged his first wicket in the sixth over. He hunted in pair with his strike partner, Kuldeep Yadav, who also took three wickets for 16 runs in 2.3 overs.
Chahal, in his next over, sent Simi Singh out on a duck before trapping Stuart Thompson in front of the stumps to complete his three-wicket haul. The leg-spinner also gave away only 21 runs in his four overs, finishing with brilliant figures of 4-0-21-3.
While KL Rahul was named the Player of the Match for his quick-fire 36-ball 70 in the first innings, Chahal was adjudged the Player of the Series for his six wickets across the two innings.
#2 Kuldeep Yadav - 4/21 in 2018
![Kuldeep Yadav bowling vs Ireland [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/ccf74-16923621197834-1920.jpg?w=500)
Before Chahal took three wickets in the second T20I, the first T20I in 2018 saw Kuldeep Yadav wreak havoc with his guile and flair.
India posted 208/5 in the first innings, on the back of Rohit Sharma's resounding 97. Ireland, in reply, were always playing the catch-up game. However, one of their openers in James Shannon hammered his maiden T20I fifty in only 29 balls.
Skipper Virat Kohli handed the ball to Kuldeep in the 10th over and the left-armer took only two balls to make his mark, dismissing Simi Singh. In his next over, Kuldeep sent back Shannon, who was looking dangerous at one stage.
Chahal also gave ample support to Kuldeep and the duo complemented each other wonderfully. In his last over of the innings, Kuldeep bagged two more wickets to complete a four-wicket haul.
#1 Zaheer Khan - 4/19 in 2009
![Zaheer Khan took a four-wicket haul vs Ireland in 2009 [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/b3beb-16923625261365-1920.jpg)
In the first-ever T20I played between India and Ireland, Zaheer Khan bowled a masterful spell of 4/19 and put the game to bed in his fiery opening spell.
In India's second game of the 2009 T20 World Cup, India bowled first against Ireland in Nottingham. India's premier pacer, Zaheer Khan came up with a remarkable exhibition of swing bowling as he sent Ireland reeling for 28/4 in 6.1 overs.
While the match was reduced to 18-over-a-side affair, the left-arm pacer made full use of his three overs and ended his spell with a brilliant 4/19. His heroics helped India restrict Ireland to 112/8 before the Men in Blue comfortably chased down the total with eight wickets in hand.
Zaheer deservingly won the Player of the Match for his efforts.