India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Bowlers Help India Take Unassailable 2-0 Series Lead

Indian batsmen and bowlers were immense in their roles while giving their team a 33-run win in the second T20I and an inviolable 2-0 series lead over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday. Once India erected a strong 185 for 5 after being asked to bat first, Ireland felt the heat while chasing and they were restricted to 152 for 8 despite a 51-ball-72 by Andrew Balbirnie. India had won the rain-marred first T20I by two runs under the DLS method. Fine hands by Gaikwad (58, 43 balls, 6x4, 1x6), Sanju Samson (40, 26 balls, 5x4 1x6) and Rinku Singh (38, 21 balls, 2x4, 3x6) moulded India's charge with the bat.

But on a true pitch, Indian bowlers had to back their batsmen and they produced a superb collective spell under captain Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi, who grabbed six wickets between them.

Prasidh continued his impressive return to top of the shelf cricket as the pacer packed off Irish captain Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker in his first over to reduce the hosts to 19 for 2.

Leg-spinner Bishnoi castled Harry Tector with a googly, restricting Ireland to 31 for 3 in the Power Play segment.

Ireland's progress was made all the more difficult by the ever-climbing asking rate that often hovered around 12 and above.

But true to the Irish legacy, they fought bravely. Balbirnie was at the front of that mini fightback, making a strident fifty (71, 52 balls, 5x4, 4x6), before perishing to Arshdeep Singh.

His dismissal ended Ireland's faint hopes for a win and Mark Adair's 15-ball 23providing a mere artificial excitement.

However, before the bowlers took over, India ruled the field through their batsmen.

They started the innings briskly through opener Yashasvi Jaiswal who made an 18 off 11 balls with a couple of fours and