In the end arrived the reminder that this was a T20 match after all; when Rishabh Pant reverse-scooped Barry McCarthy for a six over first slip’s head to wrap an emphatic eight-wicket win for India. Until the burst of impishness the half-packed stadium had waited for the whole day, the game had rolled along like the first morning of a Test match rather than a T20 game, its beats slow and wary. The chase of a meagre 97 was not without the stray shiver of fear, though.
Even in sunshine, the ball moved handsomely at the hands of Ireland’s medium pacers. Only that they didn’t have the pace, patience and discipline to make it difficult. Or for that matter, the runs on the board.
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. Advertisement India captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot against Ireland during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Westbury, New York, Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
New Delhi: DMK Chief MK Stalin greets TDP President N .
