IRE vs IND | Ireland’s fighting approach was commendable, lauds VVS Laxman

Ireland put on a scintillating show against India on Tuesday in the second and final T20I in Dublin. Coming to chase a mammoth target of 226, they seemed like the favourites at one point. Paul Stirling set the ton, scoring 40 off 18 balls before Andrew Balbirnie’s 37-ball 60 kept them in the hunt. Coming at No. 5, Harry Tector carried his good form, hitting 39 off 28 balls before he was undone by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

However, George Dockrell (34* off 16 balls) and Mark Adair (23* off 12 balls) – Ireland Nos. 6 and 7 – did not lose hope and kept them in the chase. The pair revived their side from 189/5,  but it was still not enough to get the job done. As a result, Ireland closed on 221/5, and with that, India win the two-match series by 2-0.

Taking on Twitter, VVS Laxman, India's stand-in head coach for the tour in Rahul Dravid's absence, appreciated the Irish batters' impressive show. At the same time, the former Indian batter also praised his team players for holding their nerves and thanked Ireland for hosting them.

"Had a wonderful time and a great experience here. The way our boys played was fantastic. The fight shown by the Irish batters & their approach tonight was commendable! Great to see such young talents coming up here. Thank you, Ireland, for hosting us," Laxman tweeted on June 29.