IRE vs IND: I Backed Umran Malik, With His Pace It's Always Going To Be Tough To Get 18 Runs – Hardik Pandya On Giving Final Over To Pacer

India captain Hardik Pandya, after the second T20I against Ireland, explained the real reason behind giving the crucial final over of the match to the young express pacer Umran Malik.

India won the second T20I match of the two-match T20I series against Ireland on Tuesday, June 28 at The Village, Dublin, by a small margin of 4 runs even after scoring 225 runs.

ICC Teams  Rankings | ICC Players Rankings

Speaking after the match, Hardik Pandya said that he backed Umran and gave him the final over because it was always going to be difficult to score runs off his express pace in the final over.

“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,” Pandya said in the post-match presentation.

The crowd, their favourite boys were Dinesh and Sanju – Hardik Pandya

The Indian captain further said that the wicketkeeper-batters Sanju Samson and Dinesh Karthik were crowd favourites in the match.

“The crowd, their favourite boys were Dinesh and Sanju. Great experience to experience this side of the world. A lot of support comes for us, we try to entertain them and hope we did that. Thanks to everyone who supported us,” said the India captain.

“As a child, it’s always a dream to play for your country. Leading and getting the first win was special, now winning the series is special as well. Happy for Deepak and Umran,” he added.

Meanwhile, India batter Deepak Hooda won the Player of the Match award in the second T20I and he also won the Player of the Series award. Notably, Hooda smashed a sensational century in the second T20I.

Also Read: IRE vs IND: Twitter Reacts As India Manage To Stave Off Ireland For A Close 4-Run Win; Wins Series 2-0

Get All Cricket match prediction and fantasy Tips – CLICK HERE

Cricket Match Prediction | T20 World Cup Match Prediction | Today Match Fantasy Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket News and Updates | Cricket Live Score