World T20 champions India lose the series 0-2 in Ireland as the 16-match series ends

Brief Results: Ireland (154/8 in 20 overs) beat India (153/9 in 20 overs) by 1 run at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast.

IND vs IRE, 1st T20I: MAIN | SCORECARD

It turned out to be a red-letter day for Irish cricket as Ireland achieved the best result in their T20I history by beating reigning World T20 champions India by one run in the second T20I in Belfast to complete a stunning 2-0 series on 28 June.

By securing their first ever international win over India in the series openerthe hosts went one better on Sunday as they sealed a historic series triumph and ended India’s remarkable run of 16 consecutive bilateral T20I series victories.

The triumph easily ranks among the greatest moments in Irish cricket history, matching Kevin O’Brien’s unforgettable century that led Ireland to a stunning upset over England in the 2011 ODI World Cup. However, completing a 2-0 T20I series whitewash over reigning world champions India represents a landmark achievement of an entirely different scale, underscoring Ireland’s growing stature on the international stage.

RAJASTHAN’S JAI MOONDRA BRINGS THE HEAT TO BELFAST

Ireland, defending a modest target of 155, came out with intent and seized complete control of the opening. Left-arm series debutant Jai Moondra struck twice in dramatic fashion, dismissing Sanja Samson and Abhishek Sharma for golden ducks to leave India shellshocked at 1 for 2. The visitors’ woes deepened moments later when Moondra cleaned up skipper Shreyas Iyer to reduce India to 19 for 3 and give Ireland the perfect start to their title defence.

India’s innings went from bad to worse when Ishan Kishan was caught shortly after Ross Adair produced a brilliant direct hit from the deep. At 35 for 4, the chase appeared to be slipping away fast as the Irish bowlers maintained relentless pressure with disciplined lines and sharp defending.

Tilak Varma and Axar Patel then leveled the innings with a pair of vital partnerships that briefly swung the momentum back to India. While Axar played a supporting role, Tilak anchored the chase with a composed half-century, mixing caution with timely aggression to keep the required speed within reach. Tilak patiently tried to rebuild before his release, shortly after reaching fifty. This proved to be the turning point, leaving India looking for a finisher again.

Harshit Rana almost pulled off an extraordinary escape act in the closing stages. The fast bowler hit a flurry of boundaries to reduce the equation to just eight runs off the last two deliveries, raising hopes of an unlikely Indian victory. However, trying to finish the match with another big hit, Harshit mistimed a full toss and was caught deep off the penultimate ball, allowing Ireland to complete a famous one-run win. Harry Tector kept his cool in the final to ensure there was no late heartbreak for the home side.

IRELAND FIGHT NEPAL

Earlier, Ireland recovered admirably from a stutter to post 154 for 8. After the hosts opted to bat, they were pegged back by India’s disciplined pace and found themselves at 58 for 3 after 10 overs. India’s seam trio of Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and debutant Prince Yadav made good use of the conditions, they refuse to offer batsmen much space to free their arms.

The innings was rebuilt by Harry Tector and Ben Calitz sharing a key partnership of 65 runs for the fourth wicket. Tector, playing his 100th T20I, anchored the innings with a gutsy 53 off 47 deliveries while Calitz injected much-needed momentum with a blistering 37 off just 23 balls. Their stand briefly guided Ireland to a total close to 170 before India clawed their way back into the contest.

Shivam Dube made the decisive breakthrough by dismissing both Tector and Calitz at the same time, halting the Irish attack at a critical stage. Debutant Prince Yadav then capped an impressive first outing in Indian colors with figures of 3 for 22, combining hard lengths with accurate yorkers and clever slower balls in the death overs. Arshdeep Singh chipped in with two wickets while Harshit Rana pounced with pace and discipline to ensure Ireland finished with what looked like a chaseable score. Prince Yadav takes three wickets on T20I debut (Photo Getty Images)

HISTORY OF IRISH SCRIPTS

However, this target proved to be enough thanks to an excellent collective bowling effort from Ireland. Moondra was an outstanding performer with figures of 3 for 32, removing India’s first three and putting the visitors on the back foot right from the start. He received excellent support from Mathew Hollard, Matthew Humphreys and Liam McCarthy, while Humphreys produced perhaps the most important wicket of the night by dismissing the dangerous Shivam Dube in the dying overs.

Ireland’s fielding matched their bowling intensity throughout the match, with Ross Adair’s direct hit to Ishan Kishan another key moment in the chase. Every catch was taken cleanly, the pressure never let up and the hosts consistently forced India into mistakes.

The achievement becomes even more remarkable when you consider that Ireland were without several of their established names, including Paul Stirling, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher and Joshua Little. Yet in both matches they outplayed the world champions in every department, adapting better to home conditions and executing their plans with greater precision.

It was a sobering end to a dominant T20I run for India. The series defeat not only halted their 16-match winning streak stretching back to 2023, but also exposed weaknesses in their top-order and death bowling as they continued to transition under new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer.

For Ireland, meanwhile, June 2026 will forever be remembered as the month they beat the world champions twice and completed one of the greatest series victories in the nation’s cricketing history.

– The end

Published on:

28 Jun 2026 23:04 IST