IRE vs IND: Rain Plays Spoilsport as India Narrowly Win 1st T20I by DLS Method

India won by DLS method in first T20I [Twitter]

On Friday (August 18), India defeated Ireland by two runs (by DLS) at The Village in the first T20I of the three-match series. As a result, it was Jasprit Bumrah's first T20I as captain that gave the Men in Blue a 1-0 lead.

Jaiswal, Gaikwad get India off to a solid start before rain's arrival

However, the victory was not as straightforward as India would have hoped for. Chasing 140, although Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad got them off to an ideal start, the former lost his wicket to Craig Young just after the Powerplay. After that, Tilak Varma fell for a golden duck to make matters worse.

Thankfully, the start that India got was pretty much solid in a below-par chase, and that saved them as India reached 47/2 when the rain came and did not allow any further play. The DLS par score was 45/2, and thus, India secured a slim two-run victory against the spirited Irish side.

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McCarthy, Campher save Irish humiliation after Bumrah & Co.’s assault

Barry McCarthy hit an entertaining half-century vs India (Cricket Ireland Twitter)

Earlier in the match, Jasprit Bumrah made an impressive comeback by dismissing Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker within the first five balls of play, putting Ireland in serious trouble. Harry Tector and Paul Stirling made an effort to rebuild the innings, but both fell inside the Powerplay, leaving the Irish side with a score of 27/4.

When George Dockrell left the field shortly after, it appeared as though the crowd had to leave the stadium early because Irish wickets were falling like a pack of cards. However, Curtis Campher and Mark Adair steadied the ship, stitching together an important 28-run stand before Barry McCarthy came and produced a show-stealing performance.

McCarthy's outstanding 31-ball 53-run innings, which helped Ireland reach a respectable total of 139/7, featured four sixes and the same number of fours. Campher batted bravely as well, supporting his teammate well with a score of 39 off 33 balls.

By claiming 2/23, Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the Indian bowlers. Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets apiece as well, while Arshdeep Singh had one but conceded 35 runs for it.

Brief Scores:

India: 47/2 (6.5)

Yashasvi Jaiswal 24 (23), Ruturaj Gaikwad 19* (16);

Craig Young 2/2 (0.5)

Ireland: 139-7 (20)

Barry McCarthy 51* (33), Curtis Campher 39 (33);

Jasprit Bumrah 2-24 (4), Ravi Bishnoi 2-23 (4)

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