Ireland's 3 highest run-scorers vs India in T20Is
India and Ireland have faced each other five times in T20Is ahead of the upcoming three-match series, which will start on Friday. India have won all five games and in four of those, Ireland were let down by their batting lineup.
The gulf in quality between India's bowlers, with the privilege to play high-level cricket and IPL all year, and the Irish batters, part of a team that often struggles to get competitive matches, has often been obvious. The fact that India have played Ireland in T20Is on just five occasions since 2009 is a testament to that fact too.
However, there have been a few impressive performances over the years from the Irish batters against the Indians.
On that note, here's a look at their three highest run-scorers against India:
#3 James Shannon - 62 runs
James Shannon played just eight T20Is, with the last two of them coming against India in 2018. In the first, he was their top run-scorer with a 35-ball 60 while opening the batting. This was the only fifty in his career.
The right-handed batter hit boundaries against Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzvendra Chahal, showing an ability to find gaps and use the pace better than his teammates. India's fifth bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, trapped him lbw in the 12th over. Shannon scored just 2 (7) in the next match, totaling to 62 runs against India.
After a promising rise from first-class cricket, Shannon suffered a host of injuries during his career. He retired in 2020 at the age of 29 and is among just three Irish players to have scored a T20I half-century against India.
#2 Andrew Balbirnie - 80 runs
Andrew Balbirnie, who recently stepped down as Ireland's captain after they failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup, is their second-highest run-scorer against India in T20Is. He played four matches across the 2018 and 2022 series, scoring 80 runs, including a half-century and a duck, at an average of 20.
He scored just 11 and 9 in the 2018 series, getting out to Chahal on both occasions. Bhuvneshwar Kumar cleaned him up in the first T20I of the 2022 series before Balbirnie top-scored with a smashing 60 (37) in the second.
In a chase of 226, Balbirnie scored most of his initial runs with sixes. There were six of them before he hit his first boundary as he took on India's three pacers - Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar, and Harshal Patel's length and short balls.
Ireland just fell short by four runs of completing one of the biggest chases in T20I history.
#1 Harry Tector - 103 runs
Harry Tector made an immense impression in just two games against India in 2022. He scored an unbeaten 33-ball 64 in the first match (which was shortened to just 12 overs for each side) after coming at 22/3 to take the score to 108/4.
The right-handed batter followed it up with a 28-ball 39 in the second match, top-scoring not only in the series but also becoming Ireland's highest run-scorer against India in T20Is.
With a simple front-leg-open technique, Tector dominated India's pacers and spinners alike and played some memorable shots. He had put up impressive performances before but that series truly made him an integral part of the Irish set-up.