‘Not every wicket is an IPL wicket’: Ashwin delivers reality check after India’s T20I series defeat

India suffered a shock 2-0 defeat in the T20I series against Ireland, the first time they have lost a bilateral T20I series against an Irish side. After dominating the IPL on batting-friendly surfaces, India’s young batting line-up found the going tough on seaman-friendly pitches and struggled to adjust as Ireland outplayed them in both matches.Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the defeat was more of a reality check than a surprise. According to him, Indian batsmen have become accustomed to the “24 carat” batting lanes in the IPL, where it is significantly easier to produce strikes, and are likely to struggle whenever they encounter the demanding conditions of international cricket.“The kind of 24-carat batting that we see in the IPL was not available here and I really enjoyed the quality of cricket that was played,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.“Most of this Indian batting line-up is straight from the IPL. Their true value at international level will only be tested when they play on wickets that are not real batting surfaces. The batting line-up has undoubtedly improved due to the IPL, but when they hit a pitch that offers movement and assistance to the bowlers, they will face difficulties.” – added Ashwin.Ashwin added that challenging conditions are essential for the growth of young batsmen and will ultimately prepare them better for international cricket, where not every surface is designed for high-scoring contests.

Ireland beat India for the first time

Ireland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in their cricketing history by beating reigning World T20 champions India 2-0 in the two-match T20I series in Belfast. It was Ireland’s first ever bilateral T20I series win over India, their first win over India in any format and India’s first defeat in a T20I series since 2023.The hosts got off to a dream start as they won the opening T20I by 34 runs after posting 182/9. Despite a blistering half-century from Abhishek Sharma, the Indian batting crumbled under pressure as Ireland’s disciplined attack and smart use of the conditions sealed a famous victory.

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Share an opinionThe second T20I proved to be an even closer contest. Ireland recovered from an early wobble to post 154/8, thanks to a composed half-century from Harry Tector and valuable contributions from Ben Calitz. Chasing 155, India were rattled in the very first innings when debutant Jai Moondra dismissed Sanja Samson and Abhishek Sharma before dismissing skipper Shreyas Iyer. Although Tilak Varma’s fighting 55 kept India in the chase, Ireland held their nerve at the death to secure a dramatic one-run victory to complete a historic 2-0 whitewash. Moondra was named player of the series for his match-winning performances.