Key takeaways from the Ireland versus India T20I series
India beat Ireland in the final T20I at The Village on Tuesday. The visitors successfully defended 225, their fourth-highest total in T20Is. Deepak Hooda was the chief architect of their victory, having slammed his maiden T20I century. The Men in Blue completed a 2-0 series sweep over Ireland and have a 5-0 win-loss record against them. Here are the key takeaways from the series.
India fared well in both T20Is
India were able to complete a series of challenges despite being a second-string side. They completed a thrilling run-chase in the first T20I which was a run-curtailed fixture. In the second T20I, they slammed over 200 runs after electing to bat first at the same venue. Although Ireland almost touched the finishing line, youngster Umran Malik stopped them in the final over.
Deepak Hooda was India's find of the series
India have found a perfect 'floater' for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the form of Deepak Hooda. The right-handed batter opened in the first game and slammed an unbeaten 47. He became just the fourth Indian to register a T20I ton in the final game (104). Hooda, who also bowls off-spin, could boast India's line-up in the impending ICC tournament.
Samson finally justifies his selection
Sanju Samson finally proved his mettle in international cricket. He hammered his maiden T20I half-century in the second game. The right-handed batter smashed 77 (42) with 9 fours and 4 sixes. Interestingly, Samson played only his 14th T20I since 2015, when he made his debut. Samson would be on the radar of the Indian selectors as far as the T20 WC is concerned.
Hooda and Samson stitch a historic partnership
In the second T20I, Hooda came in the middle after Ishan Kishan departed in the third over. He joined Samson before the duo started smashing the Ireland bowlers. Samson and Hooda eventually registered the highest-ever partnership for India in T20Is (176 runs). They broke the record of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, who together scored 165 runs in 2017 against Sri Lanka in Indore.
Umran Malik is still raw!
The cricket fraternity finally got to witness the much-awaited international debut of pace sensation Umran Malik. Malik, who has the propensity to bowl over 150 KPH, grabbed eyeballs in IPL 2022. He played in both T20Is but managed to pick a solitary scalp. Although the right-arm seamer exhibited his threatening pace, he lacked consistency. Malik leaked 56 runs from five overs in the series.
Can Pandya lead India in future?
There has been a lot of talk regarding the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. He led India to a 2-0 win in Ireland in Rohit Sharma's absence. Earlier this year, the former powered the IPL title-winning campaign of Gujarat Titans. Besides, Pandya also racked up 487 runs at 44.27 and took eight wickets. Can Pandya succeed Rohit Sharma as India's limited-overs skipper in the future?
