Ireland vs India 2018, 2nd T20I: Hits and Misses
The Indian Cricket Team clinched a comprehensive 143-run victory in the second game in the two-match T20 series against Ireland at The Village in Dublin on Friday (June 29). Virat Kohli made four changes in his playing XI from the first game and yet, the visitors barely broke a sweat in steamrolling the Irishmen in their own backyard.
Gary Wilson won the toss and decided to bowl first for the second consecutive time. In a decision that surprised many, Kohli himself came out to open the bat with KL Rahul, instead of sending in Rohit Sharma.
Both Kohli and Sharma couldn't thrive as much in their new positions, though, as Rahul, Suresh Raina, and Hardik Pandya grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck. India set up a mammoth target of 214 for the hosts, which proved to be a bit too much for their off-colour batting unit, which capitulated for 70 all-out on the day.
Here are the hits and misses from the game:
#5 Hit: The Indian twin-spin duo
The Indian wrist-spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav continues to scale new heights with every series, impressing thoroughly with its wicket-taking ability. The spinners came to the party once again against Ireland, picking up three wickets a piece in the second T20I.
Chahal, with his smart and accurate bowling, clinched the Man of the Series award for his plethora of wickets over the two games. Yadav, who was the Player of the Match in the first game, has also snapped up as many as six wickets through the series.
In the second T20, they were responsible for six of the ten Irish dismissals, giving away just 37 runs in a combined total of 6.3 overs. Chahal bowled his quota of four overs, while Yadav required just 2.3 overs to terrorize the Ireland batsmen on the day.
It will be interesting to see how the two youngsters respond to the challenge in England next month, where India will take on the hosts on an extensive, full-fledged tour.