Hardik Pandya explains why he entrusted Umran Malik to bowl the last over against Ireland

India's tearaway pacer Umran Malik must have had his heart racing when he was asked to bowl the last over of the game. At this stage, India needed to defend 17 runs with George Dockrell (34) and Mark Adair (13) at the crease. Malik bowled a no-ball on the second ball of the over. Adair took the advantage and scored a boundary.

The equation came down to 12 runs off four balls. Adair hit another boundary and it looked like Ireland might pull off an upset. However, the right-arm pacer only gave away three runs in as many balls to secure a four-run win. After the game, stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya explained why he entrusted the Jammu and Kashmir player with such a tough job.

The all-rounder said that he tried to keep pressure out of the equation and backed Umran. The skipper said that Malik has pace and it was always going to be tough to score 18 runs against that pace. Pandya praised Irish batters and said that they played amazing shots but maintained that Indian bowlers bowled well.

"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," Pandya said in the post-match presentation.

The Gujarat player also spoke about his childhood dream of becoming a cricketer. He said that his dream was to play for his country and leading the team and winning the series is special.

"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," he added.