IND vs IRE: Rajasthan star turns hero as Ireland script historic first-ever T20I win over World Champion India

In a stunning upset, Ireland ended a nine-match losing streak to secure their historic first-ever T20I win over India with a comfortable 34-run triumph in Belfast on June 26.

Ireland stun India for first-ever win over Men in Blue

Chasing a target of 183 on a surface offering noticeable assistance to the fast bowlers was far from an impossible task, but it demanded a tactical, pragmatic approach once the initial fielding restrictions eased. Instead, a collective lack of patience doomed the chase as India's star-studded lineup collapsed to 148 all out. The initial breakthrough came from debutant speedster Jai Moondra, who struck a poignant blow against his birth country on his very first delivery, inducing an inside edge from Sanju Samson that crashed straight into the stumps.

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India's batting collapse despite Abhishek's fifty

Despite the early setback, India managed to race to 68 runs during the Powerplay, largely driven by a sparkling cameo from Abhishek Sharma. The aggressive left-hander played a gem of an innings, tearing into pacer Liam McCarthy with four consecutive boundaries in the third over en route to a blistering 20-ball half-century. However, his lone crusade ended in frustration when he pulled a McCarthy delivery straight into the hands of Ben Calitz, triggering a wave of relief and celebration across the Irish camp.

With Abhishek gone, the remaining Indian batsmen fell into a trap of their own making. Taking a cue from the pitch conditions, the Irish bowlers consistently pulled their lengths back, and the visitors perished with alarming regularity. Ishan Kishan holed out inside the ring off Matt Hollard after a mistimed leg-side hack, and captain Shreyas Iyer followed shortly after, failing to find any timing on a clever change-of-pace delivery from Hollard and picking out George Dockrell in the deep.

The middle-order offered little resistance as Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube departed without turning the tide, widening the smiles on the faces of the hosts. Hollard finished with an impactful spell of 3/24 to dismantle any hopes of a lower-order rescue. The historic upset was officially sealed when Arshdeep Singh was dismissed by Matthew Humphreys, sparking euphoric celebrations as the Irish players sparked a joyous huddle on the field.

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Lorcan Tucker leads from the front for Ireland

Earlier, a resilient batting effort led by captain Lorcan Tucker and a late-innings blitz from Gareth Delany propelled Ireland to a competitive total of 182/9. After being asked to bat first, the hosts endured a turbulent start and were reeling at 51/4. However, Tucker anchored the innings with a well-crafted 50 off 36 balls, sparking a recovery alongside Delany, who narrowly missed out on a half-century with a fiery 32-ball 49. Together, their counter-attack breathed life back into the Irish innings, highlighted by a blistering 49-run sixth-wicket partnership off just 16 deliveries.

Ireland's top order intended to play aggressively, with Tim Tector and Ross Adair hitting early boundaries off Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana. The Indian bowling attack quickly countered, though, as Rana struck first by dismissing Adair for 11, courtesy of a top-edge caught by Samson. Arshdeep then removed the dangerous Harry Tector for a duck, and Rana quickly followed up by removing Tim Tector for 17, leaving Ireland struggling at 30/3 inside the powerplay. Shivam Dube further dented the hosts' progress shortly after, dismissing Benjamin Calitz for 15 just as he was beginning to look dangerous.

The rebuilding phase was spearheaded by Tucker, who single-handedly shifted the momentum in the 13th over by taking 16 runs off Axar Patel to cross the 100-run milestone. Though Tucker fell immediately after reaching his milestone, caught off the bowling of Rana to break a vital 64-run partnership, Delany effortlessly took over the mantle. Alongside George Dockrell, Delany dismantled the Indian bowling in the death overs, taking Washington Sundar for 19 runs before absolutely hammering Prasidh Krishna for 27 runs in a single over, which included a spectacular hat-trick of sixes.

India finally managed to halt the late-innings onslaught in the closing overs. Axar Patel broke the dangerous cameo from Dockrell (19) before Arshdeep returned to remove the destructive Delany just one run short of his milestone. A final-ball run-out of Matthew Humphreys capped off the innings at 182. For India, Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 3/24, supported well by Arshdeep (2/28) and Axar (2/33), while Prasidh Krishna had a day to forget, conceding 57 runs from his four wicketless overs.

India and Ireland will be up against one more time, this time in the second T20I on June 28.