IRE vs IND: Thankful to Hardik for showing faith in me, says Umran Malik after 2nd T20I win

Umran Malik thanked Hardik Pandya for showing faith in him after the former defended 17 runs to help India win the 2nd T20I against Ireland on Tuesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir pacer bowled a no ball and conceded two fours in his first three deliveries before giving away only three runs off the final three deliveries as India sealed the game by four runs at The Village in Dublin to clinch the series 2-0.

"I bowled wide to start with. Then Hardik Bhai told me to bowl a normal length and it became a no ball. When they needed eight runs off three balls, Hardik Bhai told me that if I could bowl two dots, we would win the match. Thankful to Hardik Bhai for showing faith in me and thanks to God that I didn't let him down," said Umran in a video posted on BCCI's official Twitter handle.

Umran, who made his India debut in the first T20I, admitted that he got very emotional when he received the India cap from his Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"It was a dream for me to play for India and it has come true. I was almost in tears when Bhuvi Bhai handed me the cap. It felt good after I successfully defended 17 runs in the final and we won the series," added Umran.

Umran had a fine season with SRH in IPL 2022, where he picked up 22 wickets in 14 games. He first received an India call-up ahead of their home series against South Africa. However, he did not get a game.

During the post-match presentation on Tuesday, India's stand-in captain Hardik said that it was always going to be difficult for the Irishmen to score 18 runs against Umran's pace.

"I was trying to keep all the pressure out of my equation. I wanted to be in the present and I backed Umran. He has pace, with his pace it's always going to be tough to get 18 runs. They played some amazing shots, they batted very well, credit to them and credit to our bowlers for holding their nerves.," added Hardik.

Meanwhile, Hardik also expressed his delight on winning his first series for India as captain.

"The crowd, their favourite boys were Dinesh and Sanju. Great experience to experience this side of the world. A lot of support comes for us, we try to entertain them and hope we did that. Thanks to everyone who supported us. As a child, it's always a dream to play for your country. Leading and getting the first win was special, now winning the series is special as well. Happy for Deepak and Umran," Hardik added further.

Team India are now gearing up for the one-off Test against England, which will begin on July 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. After that, the two sides will lock horns in three ODIs and as many T20Is.