India's 3 best T20 knocks vs Ireland ft. Rohit Sharma
India will face off against Ireland in the eighth match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday, June 5, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The Rohit Sharma-led team will be looking to start their campaign on a winning note as India aims to win their first ICC trophy since 2013.
If we look at the head-to-head record, Ireland has yet to beat India. The Men in Blue have emerged victorious in all seven matches that have been played between the two sides thus far and will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record when they face the Irish team in their opening game of the 2024 tournament.
As the records show, India has played some incredible cricket against Ireland, and fans have witnessed some brilliant knocks by Indian batters over the years. As the Men in Blue get ready to kickstart their campaign, in this article, we will look at the top three knocks by Indian batters against Ireland.
#3 KL Rahul (70 off 36 balls)
India faced Ireland in a two-match T20I series in 2018. In the second match played at The Village Stadium, the hosts won the toss and decided to field first. Batting first, India lost captain Virat Kohli in the third over. However, KL Rahul and Suresh Raina then stitched a 106-run partnership.
KL Rahul scored 70 runs off 36 balls at a strike rate of 194.4 and hit three fours and six sixes in his innings. Meanwhile, Raina scored 69 runs in 45 balls, and a cameo from Hardik Pandya in the end guided India to a score of 213 in 20 overs.
In reply, Ireland never looked in the game as they lost wickets at regular intervals. India won the match by 143 runs after Ireland were bowled out for 70 runs thanks to three wickets apiece from the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
#2 Rohit Sharma (97 off 61 balls)
After being asked to bat first in the first match of the 2018 series, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan went berserk to build an opening partnership of 160 runs.
Dhawan scored 74 runs off 45 balls; meanwhile, Rohit missed a well-deserved century as he was bowled by Peter Chase in the last over after scoring 97 off 61 balls. The Indian opener struck eight fours and five sixes as the team put a decent total (208) on the scoreboard.
For Ireland, no batter except James Shannon (60) managed to stay at the crease for long as they scored 132 in their 20 overs, resulting in a 76-run defeat. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav picked up four wickets for India.
#1 Deepak Hooda (104 off 57 balls)
India won the toss and chose to bat first in the second game of the 2022 series. Ishan Kishan went early, but it was all about Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda thereon.
While the former scored 77 off 42 balls, Hooda smashed his maiden century in the format, scoring 104 runs in 57 balls. The right-handed batter hit nine fours and six maximums as the Indian side accumulated 225 for the loss of seven wickets.
In reply, Paul Stirling (40) and Andrew Balbirinie (60) started brilliantly for Ireland, as they scored 72 runs in the powerplay. Ireland put up a strong fight right up to the final over, when the equation came down to 17 off six balls. However, pacer Umran Malik kept his cool, and India prevailed by four runs.