“For every punch they throw, we throw one back.” That was the message from Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie to his side heading into this second T20I against India.
Ireland took a lot of punches in the field, 104 of them in fact from Deepak Hooda but they threw plenty back of their own, falling just four runs short in defeat as a famous maiden victory against India slipped through their fingers in the last over.
This game had it all: 446 total runs, 25 maximums, four dropped catches and even a dead ball off a kicked leg bye. Not many T20 displays on these shores would come close to the treat offered up to a packed Malahide crowd.
Hooda started it off for India, notching a career best 104 off 57 balls as India threatened a score of 250 plus after winning the toss and choosing to bat. A death overs fightback led by Craig Young and Josh Little double strikes looked to be merely a case of damage limitation at the innings break as India ended on 225 for seven off their 20 overs.
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Ireland would need something special to make this competitive, which is exactly what their batters pulled out of the bag. After a powerplay misfire in the last outing, Paul Stirling in particular took the chase by the scruff of the neck, smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over for 18 on his way to an 18-ball 40. Ireland’s powerplay effort of 73 for one was the third highest they’ve scored in T20Is.
Once Stirling departed skipper Balbirnie took the reins, bludgeoning seven maximums on his way to a half-century. He departed carving a wide delivery from Harshal Patel to deep point and despite Harry Tector, George Dockrell and Mark Adair taking the game deep, that one final boundary required off Umran Malik’s 20th over failed to materialise.
It truly was a bonkers game. Hooda and fellow half-centurion Sanju Samson found the boundary at will, punishing Ireland every time they dropped short. Hooda was imperious over square leg and equally elegant driving down the ground - Ireland had no answers.
Yet India stuttered in their last three overs. Hooda opted to take four singles to get to his century instead of staying aggressive, part of a wider malaise that saw the last three overs go for just 26 runs as Ireland snared five wickets.
In response, all of Ireland’s threat initially came from one end - Stirling’s. Balbirnie’s first seven deliveries saw misses outside off, inside edges, balls thundering into the thigh; everything but the middle of the bat.
That was until Kumar offered a delivery on his pads that sailed over square-leg. One shot was all the skipper needed to find his range. From then it was largely a case of six or nothing. Shots over square-leg - India didn’t learn to not bowl short - fine leg and mid off brought further maximums. When his 50 came up in the 10th over, 44 of his runs had come via boundaries.
India changed tack, and it worked. The trap was set for deliveries outside off, and Balbirnie fell into it as he picked out the deep man.
Ireland always stayed within striking difference, though, as Tector anchored the rest of the chase, carving Ravi Bishnoi through point and and flicking Kumar through square leg. When he picked out long on in the 18th, he left his side with a chance with 37 needed off 17 balls.
George Dockrell showed why he is Ireland’s finisher, peppering the boundary six times in an unbeaten knock of 34 with a strike-rate of 212. Mark Adair came in and launched arguably the biggest maximum of the day over square leg but one last Patel yorker left 17 required off the last.
The Northern Knights man missed the first two deliveries off Malik’s last set, but a free-hit carved over extra and a nick over third brought the deficit into single figures. Malik had been poor earlier in his spell, ending up with an economy of over 10 but he nailed his yorker to Dockrell when it mattered and Adair couldn’t find the maximum required off the final delivery.
Just one punch short.
