India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I: 5 talking points
India completed a record a 143-win over Ireland in the second T20I at Dublin on Friday to win the series 2-0 and head into their next assignment- the massive tour of England- with huge amounts of confidence under their belt.
The Virat Kohli-led side posted a 200+ score for the second game in a row on Friday and then bundled out the hosts for a mere 70 runs to seal the series 2-0 and get their tour off to a winning start.
There were quite a few talking points from the game. Here are five of them:
#1 Hardik Pandya tees off in style
After winning the first game on Wednesday, the whole idea of the second match was to give the players, who did not much of an opportunity, in the first game to get some more game time in the middle.
In the first match, Hardik Pandya walked in to bat with one ball left in the innings and he smashed that out of the park. One might have thought that in the second game he might get more game time, but instead, he walked out with 15 balls left in that innings.
However, in those remaining deliveries, he ensured the game went away from the Irish totally as he smashed a nine-ball 32 not out layered with four sixes and one four to propel India to well beyond the 200-mark and carry the momentum heading into the break.
Pandya's role in the side, if provided with a foundation at the top in the upcoming series against England, will be similar as he will be expected to play some late cameos that would add some extra runs to the total which could make the difference against a stronger England batting unit, which is presently high on confidence after dismantling Australia in both the ODI as well as the T20I series.
If he can do that and then contribute by taking wickets with the ball as well then he would have surely done justice to his selection on this tour.