Virat returns; India trounce Ireland

India made half-a-dozen changes to their playing eleven – Lokesh Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat made way for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli (who was leading the team), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav (the player of the match) and Jasprit Bumrah.

Ireland made eight changes to the eleven that last played the Indians – William Porterfield, Jeremy Bray, Andre Botha, John Mooney, Andrew White, Regan West, Alex Cusack and Kyle McCallan made way for Paul Stirling, James Shannon, Andrew Balbirnie, Simi Singh (who was, incidentally, born in Punjab), the Stuarts (Thompson and Poynter), George Dockrell and Peter Chase.

(Wils)On winning the toss, Gary, Ireland’s skipper, inserted the Indians.

The first Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 59, without the loss of a wicket.

India’s openers put on 50 off five overs (30 balls). Ireland had conceded five extras at that point. While Rohit Sharma’s contribution to the partnership was 23, Shikhar Dhawan’s contribution to it was 22.

India’s openers put on 100 off 10.1 overs (61 balls). Ireland had conceded five extras at that point. While Sharma’s contribution to the partnership was 45, Dhawan’s contribution to it was 50.

Dhawan’s half-century – which included three boundaries and four sixes – came off 27 balls.

Sharma’s half-century – which included four boundaries and a couple of sixes – came off 39 balls.

India’s openers put on 150 off 15.1 overs (91 balls). Ireland had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point. The contributions of both Sharma and Dhawan to the partnership were 73 apiece.

Dhawan, whose 45-ball (Kev)innings included five boundaries and as many sixes, eventually scored 74. Sixteen overs into the match, he was caught by Thompson. O’Brien broke the 160-run partnership.

Suresh Raina, whose six-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 10. Eleven balls later, he was caught by O’Brien. Chase broke the 26-run stand.

India scored 200 off 19 overs (114 balls). Ireland had conceded 10 extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

The man from Ranchi scored 11. His five-ball innings included a boundary and a six. (Dho)Nine balls later, he was caught by Thompson. Chase broke the 16-run stand.

The fourth-wicket pair didn’t off the (Shar)mark. The Mumbaikar eventually scored 97. His 61-ball innings included eight boundaries and five sixes. The next ball, he was dismissed by Chase.

Pandya, who faced a ball, scored half-a-dozen. He was unbeaten.

The fifth-wicket pair failed to get off the mark. Kohli, who faced a couple of balls, didn’t open his account. A couple of balls after Sharma’s dismissal, he was caught by Thompson off the bowling of Chase.

Manish Pandey, who didn’t face a ball, was unbeaten.

India scored 208 for the loss of five wickets off 20 overs.

Singh, who bowled a wicketless over, conceded a dozen. Thompson and Stirling bowled a couple of wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 31, the latter conceded 16. Dockrell and Boyd Rankin bowled four wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 40, the latter conceded 34.

O’Brien, who bowled three overs, conceded 36. He picked up a wicket. Chase, who bowled four overs, conceded 35. He picked up four scalps.

Stirling, who faced three balls, scored a run. Eight balls into the chase, he was caught by Yadav. Bumrah broke the four-run stand.

Balbirnie, whose 14-ball innings included a boundary, scored 11. Thirty-one balls later, he was stumped by Dhoni. Yuzvendra Chahal broke the 41-run stand.

Ireland scored 50 off 6.5 overs (41 balls). India had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Although his 10-ball innings included a boundary, Singh had no reason to be in seventh heaven – 18 balls after Balbirnie’s dismissal, he was caught by Kohli. Yadav broke the 27-run stand.

Shannon’s half-century – which included five boundaries and three sixes – came off 29 balls.

He eventually scored 60 off 35 balls, which included the aforementioned number of boundaries, in addition to four sixes. A dozen balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Yadav, who broke the 13-run stand.

O’Brien, whose five-ball innings included a six, scored 10. (Cha)Half-a-dozen balls later, he was caught by Dhawan. The leggie broke the 11-run stand.

The sixth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Wilson, who faceD(ho)nine balls, scored five. The next ball, he was stumped off the bowling of Chahal.

Ireland scored 100 off 13.3 overs (81 balls). India had conceded three extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

Thompson, whose eight-ball innings included a boundary, scored a dozen. Fifteen balls after Wilson’s dismissal, he was caught by Pandya. Yadav broke the 18-run stand.

Poynter, who faced nine balls, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – four balls later, Yadav broke the nine-run stand.

Dockrell, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored nine. Eight balls later, Bumrah broke the three-run stand.

Rankin, who faced 13 balls, scored just five. He was unbeaten, as was Chase, who faced eight balls, scoring just a couple.

Ireland, who scored 132 for the loss of nine wickets off 20 overs, lost by 76 runs.

Each of the five bowlers bowled four runs apiece.

Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were wicketless. While the former conceded 36, the latter conceded 16.

Bumrah, whose spell included a maiden. He conceded 19, picking up a couple of wickets. Chahal, who conceded 38, picking up three wickets. Yadav, whose spell included a maiden, conceded 21. He picked up four scalps.

India led the two-match series 1-0.