(AFP/AP Photo)
India kicked off their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with a dominant victory over Ireland, showcasing their prowess despite the challenging conditions at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York.
In the Group A opener, India displayed an all-round performance by restricting Ireland to a mere 96 runs before comfortably chasing down the target in just 12.2 overs, securing an eight-wicket win.
While the bowlers shone brightly, captain Rohit Sharma’s composed 52 off 37 deliveries and Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 36 off 26 proved crucial in navigating through the testing pitch.
Facing a surface favoring the bowlers, the batters had to exercise caution, yet Pant exhibited fearless batting despite enduring several blows to his body. His innovative reverse scoop to strike the winning six off Barry McCarthy exemplified his resilience, sealing India’s victory shortly after sustaining an injury to his arm.
Pant’s rapid fifty in India’s sole warm-up fixture against Bangladesh, coupled with his stellar performance in the opening match of the tournament, appears to have garnered admiration from the team management. Consequently, the wicketkeeper-batsman has been entrusted with the crucial no. 3 position, with Suryakumar Yadav sliding down to no. 4 in the batting order.
“Yes, he has been batting really well. The two games (warm-up and Ireland) he has played, he has looked really, really good,” India batting coach Vikram Rathour told the media after the match.
“Yes, at the moment he (Pant) is our No. 3 and it helps that he is a left-hander,” he added.
The Indian team is pleased with all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s bowling performance, especially considering his performance in the recently concluded IPL 2024. Pandya impressed with figures of 3/27 from his four overs.
“Hardik looked really good. Hardik has been — I mean, even in the practice game and even in the practice — bowling really well. He looks fit enough to go through four overs and he’s been bowling with some pace and some accuracy, so yeah, it’s great,” Rathour said.
