India vs Ireland, 2nd T20I: 5 talking points

India completed a record a 143-win over Ireland in the second T20I at Dublin on Friday to win the series 2-0 and head into their next assignment- the massive tour of England- with huge amounts of confidence under their belt.

The Virat Kohli-led side posted a 200+ score for the second game in a row on Friday and then bundled out the hosts for a mere 70 runs to seal the series 2-0 and get their tour off to a winning start.

There were quite a few talking points from the game. Here are five of them:

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#1 Hardik Pandya tees off in style

After winning the first game on Wednesday, the whole idea of the second match was to give the players, who did not much of an opportunity, in the first game to get some more game time in the middle.

In the first match, Hardik Pandya walked in to bat with one ball left in the innings and he smashed that out of the park. One might have thought that in the second game he might get more game time, but instead, he walked out with 15 balls left in that innings.

However, in those remaining deliveries, he ensured the game went away from the Irish totally as he smashed a nine-ball 32 not out layered with four sixes and one four to propel India to well beyond the 200-mark and carry the momentum heading into the break.

Pandya's role in the side, if provided with a foundation at the top in the upcoming series against England, will be similar as he will be expected to play some late cameos that would add some extra runs to the total which could make the difference against a stronger England batting unit, which is presently high on confidence after dismantling Australia in both the ODI as well as the T20I series.

If he can do that and then contribute by taking wickets with the ball as well then he would have surely done justice to his selection on this tour.

#2 Virat Kohli stutters early in the tour

Kohli did not have the best of times with the bat in the two-match T20I series

The ongoing tour to England and Wales has been pitted as a 'final frontier' of sorts for Virat Kohli as he looks to correct the miserable run of scores that he had in 2014 when he just could not get going in either the Tests or the ODIs.

The two-match series against Ireland was seen as the ideal opportunity for him to get some runs under his belt before he could face up to bigger challenges in the coming months.

But in neither games, Kohli could set the ball rolling with the bat, falling for a second-ball duck in the first game and then making a mere nine runs in the second outing.

Now, perhaps it is a little too early to let the alarm bells ring on whether this could be the tone for the rest of the summer, but one can hope that this string of low scores has only made the right-hander even hungrier for success when he and his side face England next week.

#3 Ireland's batting woes continue

Gary Wilson has some thinking to do following this Irish performance

Prior to the series, there was no questioning the fact that it was to be an uphill task for the Irish against a formidable Indian team, eager to kickstart their tour on a winning note.

However, the manner in which their batsman failed to show up collectively in both the matches will certainly be a warning sign and something which they would look to address before their next assignment.

Granted that in both matches they were chasing tall scores and so the pressure was fully on them but do not get anywhere near India's score in either game will certainly make them rethink their strategies for the upcoming series where they will hope to perform better.

#4 Indian bowlers impress early on tour

These two were terrific in the series against Ireland

There is little doubting that if India are to do well in this tour of England, their bowlers will have a big role to play.

In 2014, they began well but fatigue took it's own toll on the bowlers, particularly, the quicks and it spiraled down very quickly after that.

They have begun on a promising note by bowling out Ireland in both matches and most importantly, the wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been among the wickets in both games.

India's challenge, however, in the next few days is to see how they can find a way to make early inroads at the start of the innings since the white ball has not swung or seamed around so far. That will be in their mind as they get to play England in a few days time at Old Trafford.

#5 The batsmen get going early on

KL Rahul and Suresh Raina came good in the second game

The primary objective of the two-match T20I series against Ireland was to give all batsman some time in the middle and as India head into the series against England, they will be happy that they could achieve the goal in most parts.

In the first game, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan got 97 and 74 respectively. In the second game, KL Rahul and Suresh Raina got 70 and 69 respectively. Hardik Pandya in the second match played a useful cameo that would have boosted his confidence.

So, Virat Kohli and the management will be satisfied with the time spent by most of his players in the middle and now will hope for them to translate that in the matches against England.

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