I now have a clearer mind about pacing my innings and backing my strengths: Ireland’s Harry Tector opens up about his IPL ambition and Hardik Pandya’s "generosity" 

The recently concluded two-match T20I series between Ireland and India at Dublin’s Malahide was expected to be one-way traffic for the Men in Blue.

However, it was nothing of that sort. Under Andrew Balbarnie’s leadership, the Irishmen batted with intent and reaffirmed that they are no pushovers in white-ball cricket, despite the retirement of several of their golden generation stars.

In the rain-curtailed first match last Sunday (July 26), Ireland set India a target of 109 after the assigned 20 overs were reduced to 12 overs-a-side.

Although the Hardik Pandya-led second-string Indian team chased down the total in just 56 balls, Ireland’s recovery act after losing three early wickets drew praise from cricket fans and experts alike.

In the second T20I last Tuesday (July 28), Ireland gave the visitors a good run for their money as they nearly chased down India’s mammoth 226-run target. For a side going through a transition period, it was inspiring to see the nous with which the Irish batters paced the run chase, putting renowned T20 bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel under the pump.

The Irish batter who shone the most in the series was Harry Tector, who amassed 103 runs from his two outings at a staggering strike rate of 170.49. The 22-year-old middle-order batter gave a good account of his versatility against the Indians, scoring an explosive unbeaten 64 off 35 balls in the first T20I and a more composed 28-ball 39 in the second.

Shortly after losing the second T20I by four runs, Tector spoke to a small pool of journalists about Ireland’s key takeaways from the India series, his interaction with Hardik Pandya, his Indian Premier League (IPL) ambition, and more. Here are excerpts from the conversation:

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Q: To bat so well and fall just short of the finish line, you must be devastated…

Tector: It was a great experience to play in front of such big crowds at Malahide. It was disappointing to get so close to what would’ve been a record chase for us. Playing that well with the bat and not winning is devastating.

Q: How do you feel about your own batting performance in the second game?

Tector: To be honest, I feel I didn’t hit the ball too well. I’m not sure how many balls I faced. We were pretty clear about how we wanted to time the chase in terms of not letting the asking rate get too high.

I think we managed that pretty well the whole way through. Bal [Andrew Balbirnie] and George [Dockrell] batted really well, which made us feel like we were in control of the chase.

Q: Your role seemed to have changed in the second game compared to the first one…

Tector: Yeah, I guess that’s the nature of batting in the middle overs. You constantly need to adapt. In the first game, there was only one way to bat since each team had only 12 overs.

The second game was more about building partnerships, particularly with Bal and then George to a degree. They were the ones who were driving the Ireland innings, so it was just a case of me ensuring that they got as much of the strike as possible.

Q: Six months ago, you were not even in Ireland’s T20I side. What changes have you made to your batting approach, both technically and mentally, during this period?

Tector: Maybe I now have a clearer mindset about pacing my innings and backing my strengths. As far as the shots are concerned, I think I could’ve hit those six months back as well. Batting at No. 4 has also helped me as I’m more used to that position. Batting at No. 6 or 7, meanwhile, is more about managing expectations.

Q: As an individual and as a team, what are your key takeaways from the series against India?

Tector: I think the series showed how far we’ve come in a short period of time. We’re not actually that far away from being at this level, considering the obstacles we’ve had to overcome in terms of lack of match practice. The fact that we were able to go out there and compete the way we did is impressive.

Going toe-to-toe with India will give us so much confidence building towards the T20 World Cup. Bal said at the beginning of the first game that for every punch they throw at us, we would throw one back. I think that resonated with me in the series.

Q: Hardik Pandya recently gifted you one of his bats. How was it interacting with him?

Tector: It was extremely generous of him. I didn’t expect him to do that. He was very nice to me. He has a lot of good bats. I’m sure there will be a few lads who will try to nick it off me (laughs).

Q: Do you have an ambition to play in the IPL?

Tector: If you ask any player if they want to play in the IPL, they’ll say yes. To be honest, I’m not getting too caught up in all of that. If you start worrying about that sort of stuff, you’re going to find yourself getting into trouble.

All I can do is score consistently and quickly in T20 cricket. If I do that consistently enough, it would be great to get an IPL contract. My main priority is to win games for Ireland and that will never change.

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