All went according to plan as India beat Ireland by 8 wickets in their first league match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday. Batting first, Ireland were bundled out for 96 in 16 overs. Hardik Pandya was the leading wicket taker with 3 wickets followed by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh who took 2 wickets each. India chased down the target in the 13th over thanks to Rohit Sharma’s 52 and Rishabh Pant’s 36.
After the match Rohit Sharma said, “I don't think the pitch settled down, there was enough there for the bowlers. Good to get the points. Stick to your basics, think about Test match bowling. Arshdeep can swing the ball into the right-handers and that set the tone. Don't think we can play four spinners here. If the conditions are there for the seamers, we wanted them in the squad. The spinners will play their part later in the tournament.”
India will next play Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday. Talking about in, Rohit said, “We are open to making changes to the team's needs. I don't know what to expect from the pitch but we will prepare as if conditions are going to be like that. That will be a game where all XI of us need to come together and contribute. It was scratchy but good to spend time in the middle, hopefully we can do the same (against Pakistan).”
There are 20 teams in this word cup. India, Ireland, Pakistan, Canada and USA are a part of Group A.
