Ireland hammered by India in T20 clash at Malahide

India passed 200 in back-to-back T20s for the first time in posting 213 for four, before dismissing the Irish for a paltry 70 inside 12.3 overs.

It meant Ireland were once again on the end of a heavy defeat after losing by 76 runs on Wednesday.

This Indian victory was even more comprehensive, though, and, in terms of runs, only Sri Lanka’s 172-run success over Kenya in 2007 was greater in the format’s history.

As was the case two days earlier, Ireland won the toss and inserted the tourists, who promoted captain Virat Kohli to open.

He will be one of the few Indians with unhappy memories of Malahide after following up his duck with just nine as he hoicked a Peter Chase delivery to a diving George Dockrell.

Yet Lokesh Rahul and Suresh Raina put on 126 for the second wicket before the former departed 30 shy of a ton when he was caught and bowled by Kevin O’Brien.

On the ground he scored a Test century last month, O’Brien claimed another two wickets with the ball - Rohit Sharma, for a two-ball duck, and Raina, for 69 - before Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya took India well past 200.

Pandya’s cameo was particularly notable as he smashed four maximums en route to scoring 32 off just nine deliveries.

Ireland then lost their first wicket without a run on the board as Paul Stirling nicked the innings’ second ball from Kuldeep Yadav to slip.

As was the case in the Indian innings, Ireland’s second-wicket partnership was the most fruitful, though in this instance James Shannon and William Porterfield’s alliance was worth only 16.

Porterfield (14) saw his middle stump knocked back by Yadav and Shannon (two) became Siddarth Kaul’s first international T20 wicket.

Only four Irishmen reached double figures - captain Gary Wilson top-scoring with 15 - and three - Stirling, O’Brien and Simi Singh - were all removed without scoring.

At 36 for six, Ireland faced a fight to avoid their lowest ever score in T20s of 68, which they made against West Indies in 2010.

That unwanted record was not broken, thanks largely to number 10 Boyd Rankin’s 10, though when he was stumped off Yadav, Ireland were all out from just 75 balls.

Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with three for 16, while Yuzvendra Chahal also claimed three wickets, his coming at a cost of 21 runs.