3 things Ireland can do to defeat India in 2nd T20I
With the series on the line, Ireland will look to bounce back against India in the second T20I at The Village in Malahide, Dublin on Sunday.
Ireland were not at their best in the opening T20I on Friday, with their batting unit crumbling like a pack of cards. It was Barry McCarthy's unbeaten 33-ball 51 that took them towards a score of respectability before Craig Young broke the game open with two quick wickets.
Once the heavens opened up with India ahead of the DLS par score though, Ireland's hopes of a comeback were doused for good.
Although Sunday presents them a fresh opportunity to turn things around, the hosts have to smoothen out plenty of rough edges if they are to run the Indians close.
Ahead of the second T20I in Malahide, here's a look at three ways Ireland can turn things around against India and script their first ever victory over the Men in Blue across formats:
#1 Take a bit of time against the new ball
It's not in the ideal nature of T20 cricket to bide your time against the new ball. More so with the field restrictions in place for the first six overs.
Yet, if both innings of the first T20I was anything to go by, the new ball certainly did quite a bit in the air and off the pitch for the fast bowlers. Ireland have the dashing Paul Stirling up top alongside Andy Balbirnie but the duo will do well to play out Jasprit Bumrah and get their eye in if conditions demand so.
The opening T20I between the two sides last year was also curtailed by rain. Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the ball to hoop around back then with Ireland finding themselves in some early strife.
Clearly, what we saw on Friday isn't a first and hence, the Irish batters will do well to ensure they don't lose too many wickets upfront before cashing in once conditions ease out for batting.
#2 Put pressure on India's fifth and sixth bowling options
In Washington Sundar, India have an outstanding fifth bowling option and he stepped up with a neat spell in the first T20I. What Sundar did cleverly was use the angle from around the wicket to cramp the batters for room on a surface which had very little assistance for spin.
The Irish batters will have to find a way to counter him though and using the crease and manipulating the field is imperative to their cause.
By going after Sundar and Shivam Dube, who is the sixth bowling option in the Indian setup, they will automatically transfer pressure onto the rest of the pack.
This ought to get skipper Bumrah thinking over how to mix his options around, particularly as he looks to ease himself into full bowling rhythm, as is Prasidh Krishna.
Using a pinch-hitter in the form of Barry McCarthy won't be a bad ploy either to this end as far as Ireland are concerned.
#3 Time the usage of their spinners right
Ireland opted for a pace-heavy attack in the series opener and could well stick to the same ploy in the second T20I. Benjamin White was the lone frontline spinner in their XI apart from George Dockrell and part-time options in Stirling and Harry Tector.
While India possess a number of left-handed batters, it does come with a catch - just about all of them play spin really well.
The same applies for their two frontline right-handed batters in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson and hence, how the spinners are used could go a long way in deciding the extent to which Ireland can curtail the visitors.
On a track that could over almost no purchase for the spinners, the control they show is bound to be critical.
Yet, it's on captain Stirling to ensure that he gets those overs out of the way at the right juncture, picking and choosing the ideal overs for the same.
If the fifth bowler's quota costs Ireland as little as possible, it could just allow their seamers to go on the prowl for wickets at their end.
Can Ireland bounce back and draw level in the 2nd T20I against India? Have your say in the comments section below!
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