World-number-one side India secured a comfortable seven-wicket win over Ireland in the first of a two-game T20 series in Malahide.
In a match reduced to 12 overs due to rain in county Dublin on Sunday, Harry Tector hit an impressive 64 not out as the hosts posted a total of 108-4.
India showed their quality to chase down their target easily, ending on 111-3 with two overs to spare.
The two sides will meet again at the same venue on Tuesday.
Deepak Hooda was the tourist’s top scorer with an unbeaten 47 from 29 balls, ably assisted by Ishan Kishan (26) and stand-in captain Hardik Pandya (24), with Craig Young impressing with the ball for the hosts to take two wickets.
Regular captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were rested for this tour but India were still too strong for Ireland.
After the match was delayed by over two hours due to heavy rain, Ireland – 14th in the world standings – had a disastrous start with the bat.
Captain Andrew Balbirnie was bowled out for a duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and soon after fellow opener Paul Stirling gifted a catch to Deepak Hooda off Pandya’s bowling after striking the first boundary of the game.
Tector and Lorcan Tucker got a foothold in the game for Ireland with a fourth-wicket partnership before Tucker finally went for 18 runs as Tector went on to hit 64 from 33 balls.
India made a strong start with the bat with Hooda hitting six fours and two sixes in a 29-ball knock that helped carry them past their 109-run target easily with 16 balls to spare.
Pandya’s 24 came from 12 balls and included three sixes, while Kishan’s 26 was from 11 with two sixes and three fours in a convincing display.
