The curse of the world champions struck again as India suffered a historic shock at the hands of Ireland

Matt Hollard celebrates after taking the wicket of Shreyas Iyer. (Image credit: Cricket Ireland) NEW DELHI: India’s reign as T20 World Cup champions got off to the worst possible start on Friday as Ireland cruised to a stunning 34-run victory in Belfast, extending one of international cricket’s most bizarre trends.The defeat meant India became the latest men’s T20 World Cup winners to lose the very first T20 international they played with after lifting the trophy.The strange sequence started with England winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, but after becoming world champions, suffered a defeat against Bangladesh in their first T20I. India followed the same unwanted path after winning the 2024 title, losing to Zimbabwe in Harare in their first outing as world champions.Now, after defending their crown in 2026, India have once again stumbled at the first hurdle, this time against an inspired Ireland side who celebrated their first win over India in any format.The result also marked a disappointing start to Shreyas Iyer’s reign as India’s new T20I captain.

Ireland makes history with versatile display

If there was any pressure on Ireland against the back-to-back world champions, it never showed.Captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with a composed 50 from 36 balls, while Gareth Delany narrowly missed out on a half-century with a scintillating 49 from 32 deliveries as Ireland recovered brilliantly from 51 for 4 to post a competitive 182 for 9 after being asked to bat.Earlier, Indian pacers dominated the opening exchanges. Harshit Rana took 3 for 24 while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel took two wickets each.However, Tucker and Delany rebuilt the innings before late contributions secured Ireland a total that proved well above par.

Debutants shine as India crumbles

The Irish bowlers then produced one of the best performances in the team’s T20I history.Debutants Jai Moondra (2/26) and Matt Hollard (3/28) announced themselves in spectacular fashion, combining for five wickets while conceding just 54 runs in their eight overs.Matthew Humphreys (3/38) added another inspirational chapter by firing through an injured arm to take three crucial wickets.India’s chase never gained momentum, despite Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 50 and Shivam Dube’s 25. Wickets fell at regular intervals as the visitors piled up for 148 in 18.5 overs.The win was Ireland’s first over India in all international formats and one of the biggest results in the country’s cricket history.For India, meanwhile, the defeat extended the extraordinary statistics. The three consecutive T20 World Cup champions have now lost the very next T20I they played after becoming world champions.