Who is Jai Moondra? The Rajasthan-born Irish pacer makes his T20I debut against India

While India’s teenage batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had to wait for his international debut, Ireland handed India’s left-arm pacer Jai Moondro his first T20I cap in the series opener at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday.India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field first. India went with three specialist fast bowlers, one all-rounder and two spinners while Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing XI.For Ireland, captain Lorcan Tucker confirmed Moondr’s debut at the toss, saying: “Bouzel. It looks a really good pitch. It was a question of transition. Stirlo has led beautifully the last couple of years. Jai makes his debut today.”Moondr’s debut may not have attracted as much attention as Sooryavanshi’s expected appearance, but the 29-year-old has built a reputation in Irish cricket as one of the fastest bowlers from Leinster, Ireland’s most populous province.

Who is Jai Moondra?

Born in Tonk, Rajasthan, Moondra moved to Ireland in 2021 to pursue her Masters in Electronics and Communication. On arrival he joined Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin and worked his way into Ireland’s domestic environment.After receiving his first Ireland call-up, Moondra told Cricket Ireland: “Playing international cricket has always been a dream. I’m really grateful to Cricket Ireland for giving me this opportunity. While I’m setting goals, I’m also focusing on every match. I have goals but I’m not stressing about the future. I’m trying to enjoy the moment – and that’s what I intend to do with the India series.”Interestingly, Moondra did not start his cricket journey as a fast bowler. He started off as a left-arm spin batsman before switching to pace later in his career.His domestic record includes one first-class match for Leinster along with six List A matches and five T20 matches.With his debut, Moondra joins the list of players of Indian origin to represent Ireland. This list includes Raman Lamba and Simi Singh, according to a Cricbuzz report. Another name is Robin Waters who was born in Calcutta (now Calcutta) and was part of the Irish side that beat the West Indies for 25 in 1969.Indian cricket fans may also recognize Waters as the driver involved in the 1961 road accident in England that left Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was traveling as a passenger, with the loss of sight in one eye.