"India's middle-order curse has caught up with Tilak Varma" - Fans react as youngster fails again in 2nd T20I vs Ireland

Tilak Varma's Irish sojourn didn't take a turn for the better as he scored a solitary run in the 2nd T20I at The Village in Malahide, Dublin.

Walking out to bat at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket in the fourth over, Tilak got off the mark with a single. He miscued a pull to deep square leg, where George Dockrell pulled off a stunning catch, immediately after.

The left-handed batter was strangled down the leg-side for a golden duck in the series opener too, marking a tough second series on the back of a brilliant start to his international career in the West Indies earlier this month.

With discourse growing over whether Tilak ought to be fast-tracked into India's ODI setup as well, fans had a lot to say post his second successive failure in Ireland.

Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad consolidate for India after Tilak Varma's wicket

India were asked to bat first by Ireland skipper Paul Stirling the 2nd T20I in Malahide. Both teams went in with an unchanged playing combination.

Jaiswal began with a bang and took on the bowlers. However, he failed to clear deep square leg as he attempted a pull shot off Craig Young before Barry McCarthy accounted for Tilak's wicket.

Ruturaj Gaikwad then consolidated the innings in the company of Sanju Samson. The duo went about rotating the strike while putting away anything loose.

Samson took a liking to Josh Little in particular and tore into him in the 11th over, amassing 18 runs in the form of three fours and a six. At the time of writing, India have bounced back and their score currently reads 104/2 in 12 overs.

India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Friday, August 18 after restricting the hosts to 139/7. They were two runs ahead of the DLS par score before the heavens opened up with a ball to go in the seventh over as the game was called off.

Can India complete a series win in the 2nd T20I against Ireland? Have your say in the comments section below!

About the author

Sooryanarayanan started off as a non-contracted text commentator at Sportskeeda 3 years ago and is today, the Cricket Commentary Manager. An MBA degree holder, a burning passion for the sport eventually led him to take it up professionally. He also writes insightful Feature pieces from time to time.

Sooryanarayanan sees cricket as a reflection of life’s ebbs and flows, and believes that the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy perfectly showcased it via the determination, courage and the never-give-up attitude displayed on field. He is a staunch Team India supporter and believes that the team has a very bright future. He admires MS Dhoni for how he approaches the sport and life as they come, being unfazed by both victory and defeat.

Sooryanarayanan tries to stick to facts and relies heavily on numerical data to present them. Keeping an objective and neutral view is one of his biggest reporting strengths, along with conducting thorough research and verifying all facts. His exploits in his field have led him to interview some star cricketers like Rovman Powell, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Peter Hatzoglou, and more.

When not immersed in Cricket, Sooryanarayanan loves to watch movies and web series, which helps him to focus better when he’s back to work.

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