India Clinches Victory Against Ireland In T20 World Cup 2024 Opener

India commenced their T20 World Cup 2024 journey with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Ireland in Group A. The match took place at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York.

Indian pacers were instrumental in restricting Ireland to a mere 96 runs. Rohit Sharma's half-century then ensured a smooth chase for India. The pace trio of Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah were pivotal, with Bumrah earning the man of the match award for his 2/6 bowling spell.

• Man of the match: Jasprit Bumrah - 2/6 bowling spell

IND vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2024 Match 8: Who Said What

Jasprit Bumrah, Man of the match: "Coming from India, with the ball seaming around, I wouldn't complain when there's help for bowlers. In this format you have to adapt to the conditions, you have to be proactive.

"Trying to stick to the plans and trying to go back to what has worked for me. You always want to cover all the bases in these conditions. You got to be prepared, very happy with the outing today."

Rohit Sharma, India captain: "Yeah, just a little sore (the arm). I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that's five months old. I don't think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers. That's pretty much what you gotta do.

"Try to hit those lengths consistently. All these guys have played a lot of Test cricket. Arshdeep is the only guy who hasn't. His two wickets upfront set the tone for us. Don't think we can play four spinners here (laughs).

"When we picked the team, we wanted to have the balance. If conditions are there for seamers, we wanted to have that. Spin will play a part later on. Today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners who are allrounders.

"I don't know what to expect from the pitch to be honest. We will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this (for Pakistan game). This is going to be a kind of game where all XI of us will need to contribute. It was scratchy, but good to spend some time in the middle and understand what kind of shots to play there."

Paul Stirling, Ireland captain: "Toss played a crucial part - stuck in to bat in overcast conditions. We needed to put a bit of pressure back on the Indian bowlers. They didn't really miss that often. Their groupings and lengths were outstanding. Any time in the middle is crucial for us. We'll be back here for a couple of days. Will give it a good crack against Canada."

Most wins as captain for India in T20Is

Eight defeats in as many T20Is for Ireland against India

Most successive wins for India against an opponent (T20I)

India winning with most balls to spare in T20Is

4000+ runs across all three formats in International cricket

Most wickets by Indian seamers in a T20 WC match:

Paul Stirling vs left arm pace in Powerplay since 2022 (T20I)