India trounce Ireland by 8 wickets

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Tent Bridge, June 11 (ANI): Brilliant individual performances by fast bowler Zaheer Khan and batsman Rohit Sharma helped India trounce Ireland by eight wickets in the rain-marred Group A tie of the Twenty20 World Cup here on Wednesday night.

Put into bat first after the game was truncated to 18-overs-a-side affair due to persistent rain, the Irish batsmen seemed hapless while negotiating Khan's ferocious swing bowling.

Khan's spell of 4 for 19 broke Ireland's back as they only managed a paltry 112 in the allotted 18 overs.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha too joined the party by taking 2 for 19 from his quota of four overs.Off-spinners Harbhajan Singh also chipped in with two wickets.

Chasing down a target of 113, Indian openers Rohit (52 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (37) made merry against a toothless Irish attack.

The 77 run opening partnership between Sharma and Gambhir ensured India reached their target without much of a scare. (ANI)