Indian pacer Harshal Patel had a really tough day in the second and final T20I against Ireland, as the hosts fell terribly short of an epic win by just 4 runs in Dublin on Tuesday (June 28).
Harshal proved costly for Team India in the second T20I, as the pacer conceded 54 runs in his quota of four overs, as Ireland came close to the target of 226 runs thanks to the brilliant knocks from Andy Balbirnie (60), Paul Stirling (40) and Harry Tector (39).
The pacer finished with figures of 1/54 and said that he thought India posted enough total on the board, but Ireland's batters were too good and didn’t allow the touring bowlers to put them under pressure, but unfortunately the hosts fell four runs short of the target.
Harshal Patel said after the match: “We were comfortable. When you get 225, you defend it most of the time. They played some really good shots, the wicket was a belter, the outfield was fast, we made a few mistakes, they got close, but we held our nerves and closed the game.”
With Ireland needing 31 runs in the last 2 overs, George Dockrell was on fire, but Harshal and debutant Umran Malik managed to hold their nerves and successfully defend the total.
Patel signed off by saying, “The momentum was on the batting side but he (Umran Malik) held his nerve. They played some exceptional shots and we were sort of surprised the way they batted today. There's no doubt about the quality of the Ireland batters.”
(Sony Sports inputs)
