Ireland produced a landmark result in Belfast as they defeated India by 34 runs in the opening T20I at the Civil Service Cricket Club. With that, the hosts secured their first win over the Men in Blue in international cricket. For India, the back-to-back world champions, it was an embarrassing start under the new captain, Shreyas Iyer.ย
Irelandโs innings began under pressure after they were reduced to 51 for 4 at one stage. Tim Tector and Ross Adair were dismissed for 17 and 12 runs respectively, while Harry Tector failed to open his tally. The recovery phase was led by Lorcan Tucker, who anchored the innings with a half-century. He was supported by Gareth Delany as the pair added a 64-run stand that steadied the innings.
Further contributions came from Benjamin Calitz and George Dockrell, helping Ireland reach 182 in the first innings. On the other hand, Indiaโs bowling effort was highlighted by Harshit Rana, who returned figures of 3 for 24 in four overs. Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh also claimed two wickets apiece. Prasidh Krishna endured a difficult spell, conceding 57 runs in his four overs.ย
Indiaโs chase saw an early surge from Abhishek Sharma, who struck a rapid half-century off just 19 deliveries. His aggressive approach briefly lifted hopes of a strong response. However, he found little support at the other end. Sanju Samson managed only five runs, Ishan Kishan was dismissed for one, and captain Shreyas Iyer contributed just three. After they were three down, wickets fell like a house of cards, leading to a shocking defeat.
As long as Shivam Dube was present on the crease, there was still some hope left for the visitors, but when the Mumbai batter departed for 25 runs off 14 balls, things changed drastically in Irelandโs favour. For the home team, Matthew Humphreys and Matthew Hollard claimed three wickets each, leaving India little chance for any sort of comeback.
Meanwhile, after the defeat, the Shreyas Iyer-led side needs to introspect as changes are required in the middle order. Many fans online also voiced their frustration following the defeat, especially as India benched IPL 2026โs leading run-scorer, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench.ย
Here’s how fans on X reacted:
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