India Dominates Ireland With Eight-Wicket Win In T20 World Cup Opener

India beat Ireland by eight wickets in their opening Group A match of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.

Captain Rohit Sharma top-scored with a 37-ball 52 before he retired hurt while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant chipped in with 36 not out off 26 balls as India chased down the target of 97 with 46 balls to spare.

Photo Credit: X/ANI

Earlier, India’s pace quartet, led by Hardik Pandya, produced a dominant effort on a spicy pitch to bowl out Ireland for 96. Pandya (3/27) led India’s effort with the ball and he received able support from Arshdeep Singh (2/35) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/6) after skipper Rohit elected to bowl first in their tournament opener.

Brief Scores: Ireland: 96 all out in 16 overs (Hardik Pandya 3/27, Arshdeep Singh 2/35, Jasprit Bumrah 2/6). India: 97 for 2 in 12.2 overs (Rohit Sharma 52 retired hurt, Rishabh Pant 36 not out).