IND vs IRE 2nd T20I: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jasprit Bumrah shine to boost India to series win

Image Source : TWITTER/BCCI IND vs IRE 2nd T20I on August 20, 2023

Indian cricket team recorded a brilliant 33-run win over Ireland in the second T20I match to clinch the series victory on Sunday, August 20. The star batter Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an impressive fifty to help India score a big total of 185 for 5 while batting first and then captain Jasprit Bumrah shone with two wickets to restrict Ireland to just 152 for 8 in 20 overs.

Irish captain Paul Stirling won the toss and elected to bowl first at Dublin's Village with both teams making no changes to their playing elevens. India struggled for a promising start with young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma getting out cheaply. But Ruturaj and wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson added 71 runs for the third wicket to put India on track for a big total.

Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube finished the game on a high note with the former smashing 38 off just 21 balls to make an impact on his debut innings. It was another poor performance from the youngster Tilak who scored just one run today after getting bowled out on a golden duck in the first match of this series.

Indian bowlers managed to produce another good start with Prasidh Krishna getting the wickets of Paul Stirling and Locran Tucker in the third over. Balbirnie kept the side alive in the chase with a sensational fifty but didn't get much support from the other end to really threaten the Indian bowling attack.

Bumrah finished the game with two wickets in his last spell in the death overs to restrict the hosts to 152/8. Prasidh and Ravi Bishnoi also contributed with two wickets each but Washington Sundar went wicketless for the second consecutive game. Rinku Singh claimed the Player of the Match award for his excellent knock of 38 off 21 while Balbirnie's 71 runs earned him the Striker of the Match award.