Prasidh Krishna Ireland’s midfield order made a memorable return to the Indian T20I scene in the first T20I match at Civil Service Cricket Club on Friday.The fast bowler conceded 27 runs in the fourth over, becoming the most expensive bowler for an Indian against Ireland in T20I cricket. The tough run also saw him set another unwelcome record, with Prasidh conceding 125 runs in the last two T20I games, the most by a bowler in consecutive T20Is. India got off to a perfect start after opting to open the series. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh removed Ross Adair, Harry Tector and Tim Tector in the Powerplay to reduce Ireland to 32/3, leaving the home team in trouble.However, Ireland captains Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany are recovering well. Tucker sealed the innings with a solid performance of 50 off 36 balls, while Delany regained the momentum with a counterattack of 49 off 31 balls.Prasidh’s tough night started in the seventh over with two towering sixes off Benjamin Calitz. Although Kalitz was dismissed soon after, the Irish saved their biggest offense for the death overs.After Tucker had returned to the pavilion, George Dockrell joined Delany in a brutal attack. The pair struck 27 runs in the 17th over, with Prasidh as the target, crossing three sixes and two boundaries, completely turning the momentum in Ireland’s favour. It turned out to be the most expensive ball bowled by an Indian in T20Is against Ireland.Dockrell contributed 19 runs from just 10 deliveries before Axar Patel ended his cameo, while Delany was dismissed for 49 in the penultimate over, agonizingly short of his deserved half-century.Although India started well, Ireland’s mid-order counterattack saw them post a competitive 182/9 in 20 overs.Harshit Rana was India’s top performer with scores of 3/24, while Arshdeep Singh (2/28) and Axar Patel (2/33) provided valuable support. But it was an outing to forget for Prasidh Krishna as his return to T20I cricket ended with two unwelcome records.
