A hint of cloud, a nip in the air, and a pitch with some assistance. The Indian bowlers could not have wished for a better start to their New York debut on Wednesday at the Nassau International County Ground. The spectators may have preferred a more contested game, but no one cares as long as India wins. An eight-wicket victory allowed the favorites to show their muscles. It was a toss that India did not want to lose, and once that was decided, the four-man pace attack of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya did all the damage.

Of course, on a pitch with up-and-down bounce, the Ireland batters could not take the game deep. While Arshdeep (2-35) caused the greatest damage early on, Hardik’s bowling performance was the most encouraging. The all-rounder needed to get his bearings early on. The circumstances were ideal, so Hardik altered slightly from his usual approach and attempted to bowl a bit fuller. It paid off when Lorcan Tucker was bowled. Hardik, who starred with a three-wicket haul, also bowled a couple of slightly short deliveries, making things difficult for the Irish batters.

The opening combination of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who were playing together for the first time since March 20, 2021, was one of the game’s highlights. It would have been fantastic for the partisan fans to witness the two firing, but they only got a Rohit show, chasing 97. Rishabh Pant (36*), batting at No. 3, demonstrated that his hard effort was paying off. Rohit and Pant’s 54-run partnership won the game for India. Rohit walked off retired hurt after scoring 52.