Indian cricket team won the two-match T20 International tournament against Ireland on Friday after thrashing the Irish nation by 143 runs, which is also Men-in-Blue’s highest victory (by runs) in T20 cricket.
Batting first, riding on opener Lokesh Rahul (70 runs off 36 balls) and all-rounder Suresh Raina’s (69 off 45 balls) blitz, India posted a mammoth total of 213 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Following the target, Ireland’s batting line-ups collapsed at the score of 70 runs. India’s spin duo Kuldeep Yadav (3/16), Yuzvendra Chahal (3/21) once again shined with the ball, and pacer Umesh Yadav bagged two, Siddharth Kaul took one wicket.
Delighted with team India’s all-round performance, skipper Virat Kohli said that the impressive performance by the bench has given him a happy headache.
Talking to media at the post-match conference, Kohli said, “A balanced performance from all departments in both the games. I’m having a headache now about whom to pick, they’ve all done so well with the bat, but it’s a good problem to have. It’s a great phase for Indian cricket, and I’m happy the youngsters are doing well and taking their chances with both hands. Our bench-strength has shown as well, with the guys shining through.”
Virat Kohli also talked about India’s next phase of the tour England, Kohli said, “For us, the opposition doesn’t matter, and England will be the same. We focus on our strength. The pitches are going to be good, so if they can come hard, we have the batting power to match that. We have two wrist spinners, so that is an advantage for us. If we are at our highest level of intensity, it will be a competitive series which we are looking forward to. England are a quality side but we have the firepower to match them. The benchmark has been set.”