In New York, India triumphed over Ireland: Finally, Rishabh Pant reminded everyone that this was a Twenty20 encounter when he reverse-scooped Barry McCarthy for six over the head of the first slip to seal an overwhelming eight-wicket victory for India. The game had drifted along like the opening morning of a Test match instead of a T20 match, its beats cautious and languid, until the spurt of impishness that the half-packed crowd had waited for the entire day.
There was a stray shudder of panic during the pursuit of a pitiful 97, though. The ball went nicely under Ireland’s medium pacers, even in the sunshine. It was just that they lacked the discipline, pace, and patience to make it challenging. or the runs on the board, for that matter.
The match vindicated Rohit Sharma’s warning that wickets in New York would be a far cry from those in the IPL, where six-hitting seemed the most familiar sight. Here it was difficult, with Ireland slamming only three and India five. The sluggish outfield meant only 15 fours were hit in the game. It would have been a culture shock for those dusting off their IPL memories, or for the American stranger who wandered in hoping to watch some baseball-like slugging. New York and India seemed worlds apart, literally and metaphorically.
Our desire to bowl first stemmed from our need to adjust to the new conditions. After the game, Rohit remarked, “I don’t think the wicket settled down when we batted.” That’s what he learned early in his innings. Mark Adair fizzed one past his inside edge in the opening over, then brushed the outside half of his bat. He didn’t release a ball of pure authority until the eleventh ball he faced, when he slid over the surface and crushed Josh Little.
Tragically, Virat Kohli, his opening partner, believed that this was the best way to succeed on this surface. He leaped out of the crease, flung his arms in the air, and ultimately succeeded in hacking the ball to third man, much to the dismay of both the audience and himself.
Pant followed Rohit, but both were aware of the dangers of dazzling shots. Over the next 19 balls, the skipper of India managed just one four. Pant likewise displayed restraint in his aggression, hitting just one four off the first 14 balls he faced. They were not rushing. Rohit would explain, “You have to stick to your basics when there’s enough in the pitch.” This time, their bowling had been decent enough to permit them to take their time.
A day out for bowlers
If India’s speed trio had been more experienced and varied, more elite batting teams would have crumbled. A fit-again Hardik Pandya can be both a workhorse and a strike force, swinging the ball from full lengths and purchasing awkward bounce from hard lengths with his bustling action. Mohammed Siraj distorts judgements, hurrying batsmen with slippery pace and deviations. Arshdeep Singh has added another dimension to the attack with left-arm deception, producing different shape, angles, and bends.
Give them a grassy pitch with erratic bounce, and they can intimidate the majority of batsmen. For Ireland’s batsmen, they created a surface that looked like a furnace. Arshdeep made two swings at the ball. He slightly changed lengths. Rather than being furious, Paul Stirling appeared frazzled as he attempted to untangle, ultimately misfiring on a long ball to Pant. With a wobble-seamed away-swinger that confused Andy Balbirnie, Arshdeep bookended the over.
The bright New York morning had by now taken on the appearance of a dismal London morning. The air is moving, the skies are dark. The Irish batsmen’s motionless feet gave the impression that the ball had swung more spectacularly. Pant had a hectic day behind the stumps in his maiden official match for India following the forced sabbatical due to an accident. In order to account for movement after the ball past the batsman, he had to gather it as late as possible. Arshdeep played a rare, careless over, forcing him to continuously stretch his muscles in order to catch the ball. Siraj made one delivery soar from a good length in the previous over, forcing Pant to block the ball a few inches above his head.
Ireland’s stumbling innings gained momentum with Arshdeep’s 13-run over. However, he brought in Bumrah and delivered an over of pure wickedness, with Lorcan Tector finding it difficult to comprehend the length of the ball and consistently answering questions a half-second behind schedule. Pandya concluded his agony with a pinpoint nip-backer in the next over, making any concerns about his lack of effectiveness with the ball look unfounded. Pandya was brash, strong, and exhibited the passion that makes him such a valued asset in a variety of media. Other than some blinding strikes towards the finish that saw them reach 96, Ireland’s batsmen were unable to muster much opposition.
India’s seamers were praiseworthy for their versatility, even though the Irish batters lacked the technical skill and temperamental sense to avert disaster, and the surface did help them. They were all back from the Indian Premier League, but none of them had a hangover.
