Team India are all set to play a 3-match T20I series in Ireland with interim skipper Jasprit Bumrah set to lead the second-string Indian Team. Several younger players and first-timers are included in the squad and will be expected to get their chances. Bumrah himself is returning after being sidelined with a back issue since September 2022. There is a lot to follow for Indian fans. However, we take a look back at the previous series that included two T20Is which India won 2-0. Here are three Indian players who impressed in the last Ireland tour.
1. Yuzvendra Chahal
The first T20I between India and Ireland was a shortened game. Ireland managed to score 108/4 in 12 overs which promised to be a competitive score. However, Indian batters out-muscled them as they reached the target with 16 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand. Yuzvendra Chahal won the ‘Player of the Match’ on a day that clearly belonged to the batters. Chahal scalped one wicket while conceding just 11 runs in his three overs, clocking an economy rate of just 3.66. That is exceptional in the shortest format of the game.
2. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has recently earned the tag of being someone who bottles his chances. However, the story was very different on the last tour of Ireland. While he was not a part of the first match, he was called to action in the second and he delivered in style. He slammed 77 off 42 balls while opening the innings for India. His innings included nine fours and four sixes while striking at a 183.33 strike rate. India reached 225/7 and won by a mere four runs after a strong Irish fightback.
3. Deepak Hooda
There was no brighter spark in the Indian side than Deepak Hooda. He remained consistent in both games, won the ‘Player of the Match’ in the second T20I for a brilliant hundred, won the ‘Player of the Series’, and ended up being the highest run-getter of the series with 151 runs in two games. He remained unbeaten at 47* off 29, including six fours and two sixes in the first game. In the second, he scored a magnificent century – 104 off 57 balls, including nine fours and six sixes at the strike rate of 182.45.