3 Ireland players who impressed in the T20 series vs India ft. Andrew Balbirnie
India won the T20 series against Ireland 2-0 after the 3rd and final game in Dublin was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The result was very much on expected lines as the gulf between the two nations is huge.
India won the first game by 2 runs, courtesy the Duckworth Lewis Method, but followed it up with a convincing win in the second encounter. The Irish team, which recently qualified for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, did show a fight on occasions but the quality of the opposition was too high for their liking.
Despite the loss, the Irish can take a few positives from the series. A few of their players gave a good account of themselves in the two games that were played. On that note, here's a look at three Ireland players who were impressive against India:
#1 Barry McCarthy
In the first game, Ireland were put into bat by Indian skipper, Jasprit Bumrah. The Irish side had a terrible start as they lost two wickets in the first over itself. After 10.3 overs, they were reeling at 59-6 and that is when 30-year old Barry McCarthy stepped up for his side.
Primarily a right-arm medium bowler, McCarthy showed off his batting skills against a high-quality attack. He smashed 51 off just 33 deliveries, with the help of 4 fours and 4 maximums to help Ireland post a respectable total of 139 on the board. He played some beautiful shots and shared a 57-run stand with Curtis Campher in the process.
He also bowled pretty well in the two games, being economical in one and taking two wickets in the other. McCarthy's returns are something that Ireland can be proud of.
#2 Craig Young
In the very few opportunities that he received to make an impact, the experienced Craig Young did just that. In the first game, he could bowl only 5 deliveries before rain interrupted but made full use of them, picking up two wickets off consecutive balls.
In the second game, Young got to bowl his full quota of four overs, returning figures of 1-29. He picked up the important wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal to get Ireland a breakthrough. For the most of it, the 33-year bowled with a lot of discipline and that must have been delightful for the team's management as they build towards next year's marquee event.
#3 Andrew Balbirnie
Former skipper Andrew Balbirnie had a tough outing in the first game as he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah off just the second delivery of the game. However, much to Ireland'ss relief, he bounced back in terrific style, scoring a marvelous half-century in the second encounter.
The Irish side lost three early wickets and were in a terrible position at 28-3 before Balbirnie played a rescue act. He strung important partnerships with Harry Tector, Curtis Campher and George Dockrell, doing the bulk of the scoring himself. He ended with a score of 72 at an impressive strike-rate of 141.18. His knock came against a potent bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi, making it all the more special.