IRE vs IND | Harry Tector carried his ODI form vs India, remarks Andy Balbirnie

Harry Tector was perhaps the only shining star for Ireland during their first T20I of the two-match series versus India on Sunday in Dublin. The 22-year-old, after coming to bat at No. 4, hit six fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 33-ball 64. It helped Ireland recover from 22/3 to reach 108/4 at the end of the innings, which was reduced to 12 overs due to rain's arrival before the game. Tector got support from Lorcan Tucker, who scored 18 off 16 balls, while the others could not reach double digits.

Still, it was not enough for Ireland to secure a victory against a second-string Indian side, who went past the finishing line in 9.2 overs. Deepak Hooda impressed the most, scoring an unbeaten 29-ball 47 after coming to open. He was ably assisted by Ishan Kishan (26 off 11) and Hardik Pandya (24 off 12) to get the job done with ease.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie lauded Tector for putting on an excellent show. Balbirnie remarked that Tector carried his good form here from ODI cricket, where he averages 41.88 after 20 matches, aggregating 670 runs. He also lauded India's bowling unit for adapting so quickly.

"It was high-class bowlers bowling with assisting conditions in the first innings. We weren't as good early on. There is belief in the batting line-up. Harry has been excellent in ODIs and was great here too," Andy Balbirnie said at the post-match presentation.

Hardik, too, heaped praise on Tector, commenting: "Some of the shots Harry played had me in awe. Look forward to him developing and taking Irish cricket again."