Ireland vs India, 2nd T20: Virat Kohli's Men in Blue seal series in ruthless fashion

Dublin: Team India secured an emphatic 143-run victory over hosts Ireland in the final contest of the two-match T20I series at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground on Friday.

Being put into bat first, the Men in Blue once again posted a mammoth total on board thanks to fine knocks from KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya that led to 213-4 on board

However, in reply, it was a walk in the park for the visitors as they bundled out the opposition for a paltry total of 70. They failed to conjure up a fight as only four batsmen crossed double-digit figures.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal were the pick of the bowlers, sharing three wickets each. Umesh Yadav claimed two with debutant Siddharth Kaul and Hardik Pandya sharing one a piece.

Virat Kohli and co will now shift focus to the upcoming tour of England, commencing on 3^rd July.

Ireland 70-10 after 12.3 overs:

DONE AND DUSTED! India wrap up the series in style. Rankin charges down, trying to play across the line but fails to pick out the wrong 'un. Karthik collects it and whips the bails as the batsman is out of his crease.

Ireland 68-9 after 12 overs:

STUMPED! India just a wicket away from victory. Thompson dances down the track, tempted by the flight. The ball sneaks through from the inside edge, crashing into the stumps.

Ireland 65-8 after 11 overs:

WICKET! Kuldeep gets his 2nd wicket of the evening and the hosts are crumbling. Tossed up, turning into Dockrell who lofts it towards Umesh Yadav at long on.

Ireland 45-7 after 9 overs:

FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN? Skipper Gary Wilson is bamboozled by a peach of a delivery from Kuldeep. Pitched outside off, turning back in and crashes into the stump with the batsman attempting a mindless slog.

Ireland 40-6 after 8 overs:

LBW! Chahal claims his 2nd wicket. Simi goes the premeditated sweep but fails to pick the wrong 'un. Impact in line and the batsman is struck on the hands and the umpire has no hesitation in raising his finger.

Ireland 36-5 after 7 overs:

WICKET! Hardik Pandya joins the party and it is the big fish, Kevin O'Brien. Foolish shot to play in such a situation. Length ball and the batsman slashes hard. The ball flies off straight towards third man.

Ireland 30-4 after 6 overs:

BOWLED! Yuzvendra Chahal strikes in his first over and its the end of Balbirnie. Tossed up, pitches towards leg and sharply turns away from the batsman, crashing into the off stump as the batsman goes for a push.

Ireland 23-3 after 4 overs:

WICKET! Maiden T20I wicket for Kaul but there's a problem with his landing foot being too close to the line. Short ball and Shannon does not connect well, presenting a top edge collected by Rahul at extra cover. Third umpires have a check and call it a fair delivery.

Ireland 22-2 after 3 overs:

BOWLED! Poor shot selection and Potterfield pays the price. Umesh bowls it full and fast with the batsman opting to play a paddle sweep. Misses the judgement and the middle stump is rattled.

Ireland 1-1 after 1 over:

WICKET! Umesh Yadav makes a comeback in style. Good length delivery, swinging away from the batsman but not enough movement to play a cover drive. The extra bounce gets an edge and Suresh Raina does the rest at slips.

1st innings:

Team India finished with a mammoth score of 213-4 against Ireland after being put to bat in the final match of the two-match T20I series. The visitors experimented with a new opening combination with KL Rahul accompanying Virat Kohli but it did not pay dividends.

Peter Chase once again got the better of the Team India skipper but from there Rahul and Suresh Raina turned the tide. The duo put on a 106-run stand for the second wicket as the men in green looked clueless.

Kevin O’Brien brought his side back in the game with wickets of Rahul and Rohit Sharma off consecutive deliveries. Later on, he dismissed the well-set Raina as India chased a big score.

Hardik Pandya supported by Pandey fired heavy in the death overs as the visitors finished with a commanding score.

India 213-3 after 20 overs:

Hardik Pandya is dealing in boundaries and looks in murderous mood as India steer past the 200-run mark. No mercy from the youngster!

India 174-4 after 18 overs:

CAUGHT! Raina's masterclass innings comes to an end. Kevin O'Brien does the trick again with the slower ball outside off. Raina fails to drag it with power and presents a catch to the fielder at deep mid-wicket.

India 167-3 after 17 overs:

India dealing with ones and twos at the moment. Manish Pandey needs to chip in at this moment.

India 144-3 after 15 overs:

FIFTY FOR RAINA! Classic knock from the southpaw, batting at his favourite position. Has played a steady knock so far!

India 131-3 after 13 overs:

DOUBLE STRIKE! Full and wide outside off, Rohit Sharma slashes it straight to the man at point and has to depart for a duck. Pressure back on the visitors.

CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Soft dismissal and KL Rahul's fine form comes to an end. Slower deliver right at the stumps, the batsman chips it back to the bowler.

India 117-1 after 11 overs:

HALF-CENTURY! Top knock from KL Rahul as he brings up his feat with a six. Has shown great responsibility today and is only going stronger.

India 101-1 after 10 overs:

HUNDRED UP! Great show by KL Rahul and Suresh Raina, setting up a big partnership to keep the momentum going. The duo are set at the crease and a big score looks likely on the cards again.

India 83-1 after 8 overs:

Another expensive Simi Singh over thanks to KL Rahul, who mercilessly slams the bowler for two biggies and one boundary. Good groove!

India 50-1 after 5 overs:

FIFTY! KL Rahul and Suresh Raina have resumed proceedings after the opening wicket. More needed from the duo.

India 24-1 after 3 overs:

WICKET! Chase gets Kohli again as the Team India skipper loses his wicket again in search for a big shot. A bouncer banged in hard and Kohli is not quite in control of the pull. Finds the man at deep square leg.

India 12-0 after 1 over:

Simi Singh is smacked for two boundaries in the opening over by KL Rahul. An expensive over to start off with.

Preview:

After winning the opening contest in fine fashion, Team India will look to seal the two-match T20I series when the two sides play in the final counter at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground on Friday.

The Men in Blue secured an emphatic 76-run victory in their opener at Dublin on Wednesday. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan fired at the top that ensured a big total on board before the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal wrapped it up in style.

Despite a solid start, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals towards the end which they will forward to avoiding this time. Meanwhile, the hosts will look to reply back with a much strong performance.

After the series, Virat Kohli’s Team India will fly to England for a three-match T20I series, three-match ODI series and five Tests, commencing July 3.

Toss:

The hosts have won the toss and will have a bowl. Siddhart Kaul earns his maiden T20 call-up.

Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Ireland: Paul Stirling, James Shannon, William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, Gary Wilson(w/c), Simi Singh, Kevin O Brien, Stuart Thompson, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin, Peter Chase.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Siddarth Kaul, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav.

Ireland: Gary Wilson (capt/wk), Andy Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Joshua Little, Andy McBrine, Kevin O'Brien, William Porterfield, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 8.30 PM IST on 27^th June, Wednesday.

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground in Dublin.

Live telecast:

The matches will be telecast on Sony SIX and Sony Six HD.

Live streaming:

For live streaming, one can log onto SonyLiv.com.