Highlights:
- In order to win the second T20I, Ireland needed 17 runs in the last over.
- Hardik Pandya delegated the duty of defending the score in the final over to pacer Umran Malik.
- Umran conceded only 12 runs in the final over securing a win for the men in blue.
The Indian cricket team under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya sealed victory in a nail-biting match against Ireland. Despite amassing a colossal total of 225 runs, India managed to secure the win by a margin of four runs. This was because the Ireland batters put their best foot forward and were scoring boundaries to a point where they actually cam dangerously close to chasing down the total. The final over required Ireland to garner 17 runs in order to pull off a huge upset.
The 28-year old Indian skipper, Hardik Pandya handed over the reigns of the final over to Umran Malik. His decision came as a surprise to many since this was only the second match for Umran. However, the pacer lived up to the expectations of the captain and delivered with the ball conceding merely 12 runs in the over to help the team win the match.
Hardik opened up on his decision to hand over such a tremendous responsibility to a rookie speedster from J&K at the post match presentation. While shedding light on the situation, Hardik said that all he was focusing on was to stave off pressure during the tensed situation. He said that it is difficult for opponents to score 18 runs with the sort of pace that Umran has.
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Hardik also saved some respect for the Irish batsmen while simultaneously lauding the Indian bowlers for holding on to their nerves. Hardik was also overwhelmed by the crowd’s response at the stadium in Ireland mentioning that he received a lot of love from the Indian supporters out there. He further said that Sanju Samson and Dinesh Karthik received raucous support from the crowd.
The series victory for India turned out to be one to remember, where the immensely talented pacer Umran Malik and right arm off-break bowler Deepak Hooda both got to make their debuts.
Hardik states how playing for the country is every child’s dream. He says leading the team to the series win will be a memory that shall occupy a special place in his heart.
Speaking of the match, India seized it from Ireland in the final over, winning the last-ball drama by four runs despite outstanding performances from skipper Andrew Balbirnie (60), Paul Stirling (40), and Harry Tector (39). Earlier, Deepak Hooda struck 104 and Samson hit 77 as India posted a total of 225/7.