India beat Ireland by four runs in the second and final T20 International to clinch the two-match series 2-0 here on Tuesday. Opting to bat, India posted a huge 225 for seven with Hooda top-scoring with 104 while Sanju Samson contributing 77. The Indians then restricted Ireland to 221 for five to win the match.
Captain Andy Balbirnie top-scored for Ireland with 60 while opener Paul Stirling contributed 40. Harry Tector and George Dockrell chipped in with 39 and 34 not out respectively. For India had won the first match by seven wickets.
Hardik Pandya, India captain, said, ‘I was trying to keep all the pressure out of my equation. I wanted to be in the present and I backed Umran. He has pace, with his pace it’s always going to be tough to get 18 runs. They played some amazing shots, they batted very well, credit to them and credit to our bowlers for holding their nerves. The crowd, their favourite boys were Dinesh and Sanju. Great experience to experience this side of the word. A lot of support comes for us, we try to entertain them and hope we did that. Thanks to everyone who supported us. As a child it’s always a dream to play for your country. Leading and getting first win was special, now winning the series is special as well. Happy for Deepak and Umran.’