Ireland's 3 best T20 knocks vs India ft. Andy Balbirnie
India begin their T20 World Cup campaign with a game against Ireland at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York, USA on Wednesday, June 5.
This will be the first game for both these sides in this tournament. Ireland are known to upset big teams and India will have to be wary of the threat they pose.
Led by Paul Stirling, Ireland are a fearless unit that will not back away from putting up a tough fight against India in this encounter. The Men in Blue have to be prepared for every challenge coming their way.
In this listicle, we take a look at the three best knocks played by Irishmen against India in this format of the game:
#1 Andy Balbirnie - 72
Batter Andy Balbirnie, who will open the innings for the Irish side in the T20 World Cup this year, comes first on this list of players owing to the brilliant 72 he scored against India in Dublin in August 2023.
India batted first and put up a respectable total of 185-5 in their quota of twenty overs thanks to Ruturaj Gaikwad (58) and Sanju Samson (40). Barry McCarthy was the most successful bowler for the hosts as he picked up two wickets.
In response, Balbirnie went at it from ball one and scored his runs at a healthy strike rate of 141. However, the Irish fell short in the end by 33 runs.
#2 Harry Tector - 64*
Middle-order batter Harry Tector, who is known to hit the ball a long way and clear the fence quite comfortably, comes second on this list.
His claim to fame is the unbeaten 64 he bagged against the Men in Blue in Dublin in 2022. In a rain-affected game, Ireland scored 108-4 in the allotted twelve overs but could not prevent India from chasing the target down in just nine overs.
Tector was the only batter to score a half-century for the Irish and remained unbeaten till the end. Deepak Hooda (47*), Ishan Kishan (26) and Hardik Pandya (24), in turn, helped make the chase easy for the visitors.
#3 James Shannon - 60
Former opener James Shannon, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2020, comes third on this list thanks to the 60 he scored against India in 2018.
Shannon's career was quite a storied one as he faced a lot of rejection before making his international debut for his country. Hailing from Belfast, Shannon was a gutsy batter and the 60 he bagged against India in Dublin showed that.
India batted first in this game and put up a mammoth total of 208-5 thanks largely to Rohit Sharma (97) and Shikhar Dhawan (74) building a fine opening partnership.
In reply, although Shannon batted well, Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around the Irish and restricted them to 132-9.