New York [US], June 6 (ANI): Following the loss against India in their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 opener on Wednesday, Ireland skipper Paul Stirling revealed the reason behind his team's loss saying that the toss played a crucial role in the match as there were overcast conditions at the Nassau International Cricket Stadium.
A half-century by skipper Rohit Sharma, fine finishing by Rishabh Pant and scorching spells by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah were the highlights as India started their ICC T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note by thrashing Ireland by eight wickets at Nassau County Stadium in New York on Wednesday.
The wicketkeeper-batter Pant's bat produced the winning shot in the end which came on the second ball of the 13th over.
"Toss played a crucial part - stuck in to bat in overcast conditions. We needed to put a bit of pressure back on the Indian bowlers. They didn't really miss that often. Their groupings and lengths were outstanding. Any time in the middle is crucial for us. We'll be back here for a couple of days. I will give it a good crack against Canada," Stirling said in the post-match presentation
Coming to the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first. The Indian bowlers put pressure on Irish batters from the start and had them struggling at 50/8. Some fightback from Gerath Delany (26 in 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Joshua Little (14 in 13 balls, with two fours) helped Ireland push the total to 96 in 16 overs.
Hardik Pandya (3/27), Arshdeep Singh (2/35), Jasprit Bumrah (2/6), Mohammed Siraj (1/13) and Axar Patel (1/3) put up fine bowling performances.
During the run-chase of 97 runs, a half-century from skipper Rohit Sharma (52 in 37 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and a supportive knock by Rishabh Pant (36* in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes) helped India secure an eight-wicket win. (ANI)
