Shreyas Iyer warns Team India after losing on debut as captain

Shreyas Iyer issued a stark message to his Indian side after suffering defeat in his first match as India’s full-time T20I captain following a historic 34-run loss to Ireland in Belfast on Friday. The defeat gave Ireland their first ever international victory over India and gave the hosts a 1–0 lead in the two-match series.

IND vs IRE, 1st T20I: MAIN | SCORECARD

The loss leaves India needing a win in the second and final T20I on Sunday, June 28 to avoid a series defeat, while Ireland are now one win away from a memorable series triumph over the reigning T20 world champions.

“I think you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t take any match lightly. You have to work hard and see if you are in the moment or not. I mentioned earlier that you have to stay in the present. We have to try to squeeze the opposition if we can. We can’t take any moment or situation lightly. We are looking forward to Sunday,” Iyer said after the match.

HISTORY MADE BY IRELAND!

Ireland beat India for the first time ever in international cricket!

After never beating India in ODIs or T20Is, they finally broke the streak with a famous win. #INDvsIRE pic.twitter.com/H116FnZtPE— Farhan Majeed (@MBilawalMajeed) June 26, 2026

The result is one of the biggest in Irish cricket history, with the hosts beating the reigning T20 world champions for the first time in any format. India were chasing 183 after Ireland made a brilliant recovery from 51 for 4. India, on the other hand, despite racing to 68 in the over, collapsed for 148 as Ireland’s disciplined pace attack took advantage of the lively conditions.

Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker, who marked his own full-time captaincy debut with a match-winning half-century, was delighted with his team’s effort. Tucker was appointed full-time captain only before this series, having previously led on a temporary basis against Pakistan and Oman in 2024 and 2026.

“It was pretty special. Credit goes to the guys. We broke the game down and had a couple of tough periods. But we hung in there and were happy to get the result,” Tucker said after the game. “Winning the series against India at home will be really special. The boys are up for it. The energy was great and the crowd support was great too.”

HISTORY OF IRISH SCRIPTS

Ireland celebrate after the goal (Photo Getty Images)

India’s chase got off to a bright start when Abhishek Sharma hit a 20-ball half-century, but the momentum quickly changed as wickets fell at regular intervals. Debutant Jai Moondra struck early by dismissing Sanju Samson before fellow debutant Matt Hollard and the rest of the attack kept India under constant pressure.

Iyer’s own return to T20I cricket ended in disappointment as he fell cheaply while Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and the lower order failed to build meaningful partnerships. India were eventually bowled out for 148 and fell 34 runs short despite an aggressive start.

Earlier, Ireland recovered brilliantly after slipping to 51 for 4. Tucker anchored the innings with a composed 50 from 36 balls before George Dockrell and Gareth Delany added crucial late runs, with Delany smashing 49 to propel the hosts to 182 for 9.

The Indian bowlers initially dominated through Harshit Rana, who took 3 for 24 on his return from injury, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel chipped in with two wickets each. However, expensive spells from Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar allowed Ireland to finish strongly, giving their bowlers a total they defended with confidence.

India will now look to level the series in Sunday’s second T20I, while Ireland have an opportunity to complete a landmark series win at home.

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Published on:

June 26, 2026 10:38 PM IST