India strolled to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Ireland in a rain-truncated first T20I in Malahide on Sunday. The game was delayed by over two hours, forcing it to be rescheduled into a 12-over encounter with the hosts putting 108/4 on the board, thanks to a 33-ball 64 not out by Harry Tector. India still went on to clinch the game with comfort as Deepak Hooda’s debut as an opener went according to plan with a not-out 29-ball 47.
The victory also was the debut of all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the captain of the Indian team, which featured young faces as senior names are busy preparing for the one-off Test against England in Leicestershire.
And despite being cut short by the rain, the match had plenty of talking points to look into as the Men in Blue kickstart their UK tour on a winning note:
Umran Malik bowls just one over on debut
After a glitter IPL that made him a nationwide sensation with his lightning speed of 155-plus kmph, Umran Malik international debut didn’t go according to plan as he bowled just one over in the game. The debut came after a long wait as in his maiden call-up during the five-match home series against South Africa earlier this month was spent in the dugout.
That showed on the day of his debut as he proved expensive in his solitary over as the 22-year-old express pacer gave away 14 runs. Malik seemed nervous on the day as he was a mere shadow of a bowler who took 22 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2022.
While the bowler failed to breach the 150kmph mark on the day, Tector gained further momentum by hitting the pacer for a four and then a six off the last ball.
Skipper Pandya, however, clarified that Malik will get more opportunity to bowl in the next match as he believes the young pacer is more comfortable with the old ball.
“He’s (Malik) been fantastic for his franchise. But I felt, also had a chat with him, he’ll be more comfortable with the older ball. Ireland batted fantastically, had to go back to our main bowlers. Maybe next game he’ll have a full chance,” Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
Hardik Pandya captaincy record on debut
Pandya also became the eighth player to lead India in T20 cricket while also becoming the first captain to take a wicket in the shortest format of the game. The 28-year-old all-rounder achieved the record by dismissing Paul Stirling as early as the second over of the match.
In the past, no bowlers have led India in the shortest format with Virender Sehwag being the first T20 captain in 2006 against South Africa. That was his sole match in charge of the Indian team in the format. Prior to that, MS Dhoni took reign of the team for nine years before passing the baton to Virat Kohli. In between Suresh Raina (3 matches) and Ajinkya Rahane (2) played the role of stand-in captains in a few matches.
Rohit Sharma, who also stood in as captain when required during Kohli’s tenure, took over from his teammate recently. Shikhar Dhawan also led a second-string, some may call it third-string, Indian team for a three-match series in Sri Lanka last year.
Deepak Hooda adds to opening options
In a move that surprised many, Pandya sent in Deepak Hooda as an opener in the 109-run chase and the Rajasthan cricketer repaid the captain’s faith with a 47 not out to take India home. The 27-year-old batter was happy to play the role of sheet anchor as he held on to the other end in a 30-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, followed by a 64-run stand with the skipper. Thanks to his effort, India cross the line with 16 balls to spare.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls at ‘208kmph!’
In a farcical technical error, speedometer during the game left the viewers stunned as Indian senior pacer Bhuvnewshwa Kumar recorded out-of-the-world pace in the first over of the game. Bowling the very first ball of the match, Bhuvnewshar’s pacre read 201 kmph to leave the world stunned. Before one could fathom what had happened, Bhuvi’s next delivery read an unthinkable 208kmph but both his deliveries did little to bother Irish opener Stirling, who managed to touch both the deliveries; making it apparent that those were speedometer glitches.
However, that takes little away from Bhuvi’s spell on the day as he retained a 1/16 figure in his three-over spell, including a maiden in an overcast conditions. The 32-year-old pacer also dismissed Andre Balbirnie with a vicious inswinger to cap off his spell.
As far as the fastest delivery is concerned, it remains with Shoaib Akhtar at 161.3 kmph.
Harry Tector finds recognition with 64*
Harry Tector announced his arrival at the biggest of platforms as the 22-year-old Irish batter took good measure of the Indian bowlers with a spitfire 64 runs off 33 balls. His innings came at a crucial juncture as the home side were reeling at 22/3 inside four overs in front of a packed house.
Tector played some proper cricketing shots and mostly through the off sides during the course of his innings with 42 of them coming through that region. He launched into attack by hitting experienced spinner Axar Patel for two fours in the over and finished his innings with three sixes and six boundaries to take Ireland to 108/4.
His innings attracted praises from Indian captain Pandya, who hoped to see him in IPL and gave away his bat to the youngster as well.
“Oh, he (Harry Tector) played some fantastic shots. And obviously, he’s 22. I think I have given him a bat as well. So maybe he can score some more sixes and maybe get an IPL contract,” Hardik said at the post-match press conference.
“And I wish him luck and, you know, just look after him. Well, give him the right guidance. It’s not always about cricket. It’s about understanding your own lifestyle and understanding what is at stake. If you can manage that, I’m sure he’s going to be around not just in the IPL, but in all the leagues in the world.”
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