Confident India eye series win in the second T20 International against Ireland

DUBLIN: Buoyed by Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive return, fancied India will hope for better weather and a chance for the team’s young batters to prove their mettle in the second T20 International against Ireland here on Sunday.

After the Bumrah-led bowling attack impressed to restrict Ireland to 139 for seven in the series opener, incessant rain denied the middle-order batters an opportunity to prove their worth.

India were declared winner by two runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method and both the teams will hope that they get to play a full match in the second game.

Expected to lead the Indian batting in the coming years, the likes of Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh will hope they get a chance to spend sufficient time in the middle.

Having got out after getting a good start in the first match, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will look for a big score and so will Tilak Varma, who was dismissed for a golden duck days after his stupendous performance in West Indies.

While the newcomers in international cricket dominate the top-order, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson lends a bit of experience to the Indian batting order in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.

Though injuries have remained a part of his career, all-rounder Washington Sundar has also gained enough ex-perience at the top level, and he will be pressed into service by Bumrah, who is leading the team in the absence of regular T20I skipper Hardik.

As far as the batting is concerned, India was cruising until Craig Young’s two wickets in the last over pegged it back a bit.

Leading the side on his return after an 11-month injury layoff, Bumrah claimed two for 24 in his first match in almost a year, including bowling nine dot balls, while forming a formidable partnership with T20I debutant Prasidh Krishna (two for 32) - also on a comeback trail - to restrict Ireland to a modest total after opting to bowl. Agencies

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