Gaikwad, Rinku and Prasidh sparkle as India seal series win

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a half-century but Rinku Singh stole the limelight with a swashbuckling innings at the death as India sealed the series by beating Ireland by 33 runs in the second T20I.

Gaikwad and Sanju Samson put on 71 to stabilise India after they lost two wickets in the powerplay. Then, with Ireland applying the squeeze following their departures, Rinku - batting for the first time in international cricket - took centre stage to help India pump 42 runs off the last two overs and get to a total of 185, which proved too much for Ireland.

Andy Balbirnie fought a lone battle for Ireland with a 51-ball 72 but it wasn't enough as Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi spearheaded India's defence with two wickets apiece.

After India were put in on a sunny afternoon in Malahide, Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal got going in the second over. Gaikwad nudged Josh Little behind square for the first boundary of the match before Jaiswal pulled successive deliveries for four and six.

Jaiswal drove Barry McCarthy for another four before Craig Young got him for the second consecutive match by cramping him with a short ball. Jaiswal went for the pull nonetheless, and ended up caught on the boundary by Curtis Campher running to his left from deep midwicket and reaching over his head.

McCarthy then struck in similar fashion as Tilak Varma skied a pull to deep square leg.

Gaikwad stepped up the tempo soon after the powerplay, taking on the short ball. He first pulled legspinner Ben White in front of midwicket and then dispatched Young on either side of the midwicket fielder off consecutive balls in the next over.

Samson then played an impeccable on-drive off Adair before ramping up the pressure on Little, hitting him for three fours and a six in the 11th over as the left-arm quick ended up conceding 48 in his four overs. Samson drove him over cover for a one-bounce four and then slapped a length ball over extra-cover. He then steered a low, wide full-toss past the keeper to make it 4, 4, 4. A dot off the next ball was only momentary respite for Little, who then went short only to be pulled behind square for six.

But Young pulled things back with a five-run 12th over before Samson dragged on off White, to bring Rinku to the crease.

Rinku swept White for his first four in the 15th over before Gaikwad brought out a sweep of his own to bring up his half-century. Gaikwad then smacked him down the ground for six to take India to 129 for 3, leaving them poised for a potential 200-plus score.

McCarthy outfoxed Gaikwad with a slower ball in the 16th over, however, and Ireland began stifling India with good use of the short ball and slower ones. India could score just 14 runs off the 16th, 17th and 18th overs.

A below-par score on a high-scoring ground looked likely, with both Rinku and Dube struggling to break the shackles. Then Rinku did what he had done so many times in IPL 2023 to earn his India call-up.

He carved McCarthy over backward point for four in the 19th over and hoicked the next ball, a slower one, over long-on for his first six. McCarthy then bowled two wides on the trot and changed his angle to go around the wicket, but it did little to stop Rinku's charge as he carted him over cover for another six.

Adair started the final over with a leg-stump full toss that Dube helped behind square for the first of two sixes. The next ball was in the slot and Dube swung it far into the stands over deep midwicket. Rinku then duly pulled a length ball for another six, the crowd's cheers growing louder with each hit.

A top-edge off an attempted pull saw Rinku walk back for 38 off 21, but by then he had done enough to get India to a more-than-fighting total.

Chasing 186, Ireland saw out Jasprit Bumrah's first over, although Balbirnie survived an lbw appeal that returned umpire's call at the stumps after India reviewed the not-out decision.

Balbirnie got going off the next over, hitting Arsheep Singh for two boundaries on either side of the wicket.

But Prasidh broke the game open in the next over, using the short-ball tactic that had worked well for Ireland. He got Paul Stirling to top-edge a pull that Arshdeep claimed, running in from fine leg to send the Ireland captain back for a four-ball duck. Two balls later, Lorcan Tucker miscued a pull towards mid-on, where Gaikwad held on running across from midwicket, despite a mini-collision with Dube.

Ravi Bishnoi completed a good powerplay for India by cleaning Harry Tector up with a wrong'un. At 31 for 3, Ireland already needed more than 11 an over.

Balbirnie briefly raised their hopes, sweeping Washington Sundar for back-to-back fours in the seventh over, and Campher got going with a slog-swept Bishnoi for a six off his next over. But a quiet over from Dube amped up the pressure and Campher spooned a catch to backward point off Bishnoi to leave Ireland reeling at 64 for 4 after ten overs.

But Balbirnie kept going, hitting Dube for two sixes and sweeping Bishnoi for four either side of a four-run 12th over bowled by Bumrah. Balbirnie brought up his tenth T20I fifty in the 13th, which also saw Dockrell hit Bishnoi down the ground for six.

Ireland now needed 92 from 42 balls. Gaikwad dropped a regulation chance of Dockrell off Washington's bowling in the 14th over, but Dockrell was soon walking back after a mix-up with Balbirnie.

Balbirnie, who had pulled Prasidh for six right before Dockrell's dismissal, gave Arshdeep similar treatment but the left-arm quick came back by throwing it up wide and getting the opener to edge behind.

That all but sealed India's win as McCarthy failed to recreate his heroics from the first T20I, holing out off a Bumrah slower ball. Mark Adair hit a few lusty blows at the end, but by then the contest was over. Bumrah eventually had him caught in the deep as he closed out the game with a wicket maiden.