“India always gives high-quality good cricket”: Ireland captain Paul Stirling after T20I series defeat

The third and final T20I of the three-match series between India and Ireland scheduled for Wednesday at Dublin was called off due to rain without a ball being bowled

Dublin: Praising the Indian team for playing high-quality cricket, Ireland captain Paul Stirling said his team needs to build from “periods of good cricket in patches.” The third and final T20I of the three-match series between India and Ireland scheduled for Wednesday at Dublin was called off due to rain without a ball being bowled. With this, India captured the series 2-0. Stirling expressed his desire to work very hard in preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and Caribbean islands in 2024.

“Just periods of good cricket from us in patches. A lot of positives but its about finishing those games on. India always gives high-quality good cricket when they come here. Brilliant to have India over and play in front of good crowds here. Would’ve been happier if we could’ve got some fresh faces out there tonight. We will continue to work hard in the journey to T20 World Cup. It’s a buildup of around 10 months,” Stirling said in a post-match presentation.

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In the second T20I of the match, Ireland did well with the ball, holding India to just the game’s 17th over. But in the final two overs of the first innings, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube attacked their way to scoring 40+ runs in the final 12 balls, and things quickly changed. Ireland struggled and gave up on trying to get back into the series as the tide turned in India’s favour.

Experienced opener Andy Balbirnie (72) gave Ireland some hope with some valuable runs at the top of the order in reply, but Ravi Bishnoi (2/37), Prasidh Krishna (2/29) and Bumrah picked up two wickets each to ensure India registered the victory.