Ireland created history by handing India a shocking defeat in the opening T20I of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday, June 26. The Men in Blue suffered a 34-run loss, fresh from their 2026 T20 World Cup triumph.
Batting first, Ireland were in early trouble at 30/3. However, they recovered well with skipper Lorcan Tucker (50 off 36) and Gareth Delany (49 off 32) playing key knocks to take them to a competitive total of 182/9.
The visitors lost three early wickets in the powerplay but scored at a quick rate. Things seemed to be going fine until Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a 20-ball 49, leaving them in serious trouble at 80/4. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals from then on, struggling to come back. Eventually, Shreyas Iyer and his troops were nowhere close, being bundled out for just 148 in 18.5 overs against an Ireland side that is missing five key players due to injury.
Fans were furious following the defeat to a second-string Ireland side, reflecting the disappointment in their reactions.
Notably, World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the side, with Iyer named the new T20I captain.
“India all out vs mighty Ireland – 148/10 India was never this clueless under captain SKY 😭🤣,” a fan wrote on X.
“Congratulations Ireland on your first t2oi win vs India Also this Should be a Wakeup call for ict in regards of batting lineup As next wc is in Aus And Today’s is the perfect example of how this total batting lineup wil get get bundled up vs Htd pace bowling on large grounds,” another tweet read.
Below are some other reactions from fans on X –
The Men in Blue will aim to bounce back and level the series in the second game on Sunday, June 28, at the same venue.
Ireland register first victory over India in international cricket
While beating the world champions was a special win in itself, this victory was historical for Ireland, as it was their first against India in international cricket across all formats.
Before this game, the Men in Blue had won all eight T20Is against Ireland, maintaining a 100% record. They have also won all three ODIs played against the Irish team, while the two nations have never played a Test match so far.
Therefore, Lorcan Tucker, named Ireland’s new T20I captain, became their first-ever skipper to win an international match against the Men in Blue.
Edited by Rishab Vm