Right then, that is all we have from this action-packed short T20I series. Hardik Pandya collects the trophy and hands it to Umran Malik. All players come up to have a special team photograph with that much-deserved trophy. All smiles in the Indian camp and from this fast-paced T20 format, the Indian team is all set to take on England in the final Test of the five-match Test series between England and India that was rescheduled due to Covid-19. That game will start at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT) on Friday, July 1. Our build-up though begins a lot earlier. So do join us for the same. Till then goodbye and cheers!

Hardik Pandya, the skipper of India, says that he was not worried, he trying to take all the pressure off the equation and just focus on the game. He tells that he went for Umran Malik and backed him because he knew it was tough to hit when he is bowling at such a pace. Mentions that they were here to play a game of cricket and Ireland have shown them what they have. He credits their batters for the amazing shots they played and credits the Indian bowlers as well. Concludes by thanking all the fans who came out to support India and he feels very proud to represent his country, and win games and series for the country. He is happy with the way Hooda batted and is happy for Umran as well.

Andy Balbirnie, the skipper of Ireland, says that the feeling is good and tells that not every day one gets close to such a total. Tells that they knew that the only way to chase down this total was to be expressive and they are disappointed that they came very close but could not win this game. Adds that the plan was to use the Powerplay and it was a very good effort from them to come close to this target. Mentions that there has been a lot of chat about how they want to play their game and this game was close to how they want to play and adds that they want to continue doing this so that their plans are clear for the T20I World Cup. Tells that they have New Zealand next up and he hopes that they can continue in the same fashion with the same mindset.

Deepak Hooda is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH and PLAYER OF THE SERIES! He scored a good 47 in the first game and followed up with a brilliant 104 off 57 balls in this game. He says that he is coming from a good Indian T20 League season, and he tried to do the same and carry it into this series. Mentions that he is liking his intent and is enjoying playing in this aggressive manner. On his partnership with Sanju Samson, he says that Sanju Samson is his childhood friend, and they have been playing together since their Under-19 days and it always feels good to put such a partnership with a mate. Concludes by saying that the fans have been amazing here and they made him feel like he was playing in India.

Time for the presentation...

Harshal Patel is down for a chat! He says that they were comfortable at the break, and most of the time when anyone gets 225 they think they can defend it, but Ireland got really close, the pitch was an absolute belter but in the end, they held their nerves. On Umran Malik he says that Malik did well he held his nerves as well. The momentum was with the batters but Malik did well. Further adds that the Irish batters were really impressive, they have a quality side and put on a show here.

Earlier in the game, India put a mammoth score of 225 on the board riding on the 176-run stand between Hooda and Samson. Though Ireland pull things back at the death otherwise things could have been a lot worse. Mark Adair took three wickets while both Young and Little finished with two wickets. However, they were hardly a few who gave Ireland a chance to chase this total down. Then came the reality check for the Indian bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was brilliant with the new ball in the first game was carted all around the park in the first over. All the other bowlers continued to meet with the same fate but Indian spinners did some handy work in the middle overs. Bishnoi got the big wicket of Paul Stirling and Bhuvneshwar Kumar came back well in the death. In the end, Umran Malik was put to a stiff test but he came out with flying colours to hand India a win in this thrilling contest.

When you are chasing 226, you don’t have many options in your kitty other than the ‘Bang Bang’ approach. Ireland did exactly that and Paul Stirling came out all guns blazing smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 18 runs in the first over. Andy Balbirnie took some time to get off the blocks but eventually got into his groove. Paul Stirling though went bizarre at the other end and departed in the final over of the Powerplay with 40 runs off just 18 balls. The six-hitting drama continued though Gareth Delany did not last long. Harry Tector and Andy Balbirnie took the game on and Andy Balbirnie eventually departed in the 11th over with Ireland in with a great chance. Tector played another blinder while George Dockrell played a fantastic cameo to keep Ireland in the game even after Tector departed. They needed 17 from the last over and the game went right down the wire as Mark Adair needed to do on the final ball what Javed Miandad did to Chetan Sharma a few decades back. He couldn’t but Ireland have made a big statement with this performance here. 

Wow! What a spirited batting performance this was from Ireland. Sadly, they have fallen short but not before we have been entertained with a six-hitting feast here! The Irish boys would be proud of their effort but India managed to hold their nerves in the end and have come out on top to win both games of this short yet exciting Ireland tour. Great show of character from Umran Malik in the last over under pressure and overall it has been a cracker of a game! 

Who will bowl the last over? It will be the youngster, Umran Malik! This will be a great test for him.