Virat Kohli, with his 269 million Instagram followers across the world, is at the heart of the International Cricket Council’s ambitions to grow the sport in North America. But on the day India began their T20 World Cup campaign at the Nassau County International Stadium on the outskirts of New York City, there were two problems. The drop-in pitch, made with South Australian soil and grass, and put together in Florida, had spongy bounce and extravagant lateral movement. Ireland’s batsmen came a cropper on it, but so did Kohli for 1. This ultimately one-sided Indian romp was hardly the advertisement cricket needed to wean the natives away from the charms of the NBA and the NFL.
India won’t care too much though, with the emphatic eight-wicket win, with 46 balls remaining, the perfect preparation for Sunday’s eagerly anticipated clash against Pakistan. Arshdeep Singh started the slide with a couple of superb overs first up, and Jasprit Bumrah was nearly unplayable, but the most heartening aspect of India’s bowling display was Hardik Pandya steaming in and bowling with pace, control and intelligence. His three wickets knocked the stuffing out of Ireland, and only Gareth Delany’s sprightly 14-ball 26 prevented abject humiliation.
The writing was on the wall the minute the experienced and big-hitting Paul Stirling miscued a leg-side heave for Rishabh Pant – back in India colours for the first time since a life-threatening road accident in December 2022 – to take a steepling catch behind the stumps. Arshdeep then ended his second over by castling Andy Balbirnie, whose attempt at a cute deflection connected only with air.
But it was the dismissal of the dangerous Harry Tector that highlighted just how difficult the pitch was to bat on. Arshdeep had already struck him a painful blow on the right thumb when Bumrah – Player of the Match for his 2-6 from three overs – summoned up a beast of a bouncer. It smashed into the glove and then the helmet before looping up to silly point for Kohli to run in and take the catch.
Pandya bowled Lorcan Tucker with a nip-backer and then shaped one away to have Curtis Campher caught behind. It was a pretty much a process until Delany ruined Arshdeep’s figures with two fours and a six over square leg in his final over.
Needing less than five runs an over to win, India too were tested by the seam movement. Rohit Sharma survived three inside-edges early on, while Kohli’s charge down the pitch to Mark Adair only resulted in an ugly flail that flew to the fielder at third man. But Rohit and Pant snuffed out any thoughts of an upset with some enterprising batting.
Pant played a couple of lovely shots down the ground, while Rohit pinged Josh Little over long-on once he started to find the middle of the bat. There were two characteristic pick-up shots for six over square leg when Little pitched short in the ninth over, and a tonk through midwicket off Adair took him to a 36-ball half-century. He retired hurt soon after, having been hit on the upper arm by a Little bouncer, but by then, the game was as good as over.
Suryakumar Yadav failed, caught in the deep, but the sheer audacity of Pant’s winning hit – a reverse-scoop over the wicketkeeper for six – summed up just how comfortably India handled the first hurdle of what they hope will be a nine-obstacle course to glory.
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