The third and final T20 of the series was to happen on August 23, 2023, in Malahide Cricket Ground, also known as The Village. India was leading the series by 2-0, giving Ireland one last chance to bring up a single. Alas, rain played its tunes, and the match was officially called off at 10:30 pm IST. Not a ball was delivered, leading to the match being abandoned.
This is the first T20 series win for Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian skipper. It is obvious that visitors wanted a clean-sheet victory against one of the most competitive sides. Ireland, too, was looking forward to a chance to retain the pride of the nation. Nevertheless, they have praise from across the globe for the way they contested the first two T20 matches against the top-ranked team.
For curious minds, Ireland ranks 12th per the ICC T20 rankings. The difference of 11 spots blurred when the first T20 event was played between both countries. The first match was a close call, with India winning it by 2 runs under the DLS method. The hosts lost wickets early, with a small prediction collapsing way before 100 runs. Curtis Campher and Barry McCarthy kept the play alive & also their odds on many online cricket betting sites. As a matter of fact, Barry scored an unbeatable 51 runs for 33 balls.
Making it special is the fact that he comes in the 8th position on the line-up. That is where tail-enders are fielded to give their best shots. Expectations are they would lose wickets without entering the double-digit run.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal collectively brought up 46 runs in 7 overs. That was all they needed before Sanju Samson scored a single. Tilak Varma’s dismissal was near the game-changing moment, for there was a tie on the call.
Come the second T20, the competition got tougher. Jaiswal departed in the 4th over, and Varma again played a small inning. India was down by 2 wickets in powerplay as Ireland demonstrated their capability. Rinku Singh’s entry sparked light in everyone’s eyes. It was his first time to bat in the series. The IPL performance fortunately got carried forward, and the left-handed batter contributed 38 runs off 21 balls, later becoming Player of the Match.
Gaikwad brought up 48 runs off 43 balls. Ireland chose to fight. Andrew Balbirnie showed the way forward at the strike rate of 141.18. Losing the opening partner for a duck can bring a lot of pressure. Andrew chose to absorb all of it under the situation. It was a chance for them to equalize the series. Choosing to bowl first did not work in their favor.
Three Indian bowlers went on to bag 2 wickets each. Bumrah led the charge by picking 2 wickets throughout 4 overs at an economy of 3.75. Others to achieve the feat are Prasigh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi.
The Indian nation continues to celebrate the success of Chandrayaan 3. The Indian Cricket team clinching a series win before the Asia Cup 2023 is another reason for the country to celebrate.
