Team India endured a shocking 34-run loss against Ireland in the opening game of the two-match T20I series. It was a total nightmare for the newly appointed India skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made his comeback into the format after three years as a captain. The big surprise came from Ireland, as their star debutant Jai Moondra claimed two key wickets while defending 183 runs.
Jai Moondra reflects on important performance against India
Notably, Jai Moondra is Rajasthan-born pacer who now plays for Ireland in the international circuit. After the game Moondra reflected on his debut against his native country where his dreams of becoming a professional cricket player took shape, saying that he felt excited after removing Sanju Samson on the first delivery.
"I was feeling excitement at the same time. Testing myself against India and getting a first-ball wicket, I was trying not to be overwhelmed because we still had nine wickets to go.
"It is a dream come true to get on to an international platform and play against India. It's something special, a class feeling," .
Underwhelming batting show from India
While chasing a big target of 183 in the second innings, the Indian team endured a tough start despite opener Abhishek Sharma scoring a quick 50 runs off just 20 balls, as Sanju Samson lost his wicket after scoring 5 runs off four balls off Jai Moondra's bowling. Coming after a fresh ODI hundred, Ishan Kishan could not save the middle-order from a big collapse, as he was removed by Matthew Hollard after scoring just one run. Coming to bat at No.5 skipper Shreyas Iyer failed to play a captain's knock, scoring only three off seven before being dismissed by Matthew Hollard.
Vice-captain Tilak Varma played a rusty knock of 19 off 21, as he was removed by Matthew Humphreys. Washington Sundar, who was promoted ahead of Shivam Dube in the big run-chase could not create any impact either, as he scored just 9 runs off 12 balls. While Dube tried to take control of the chase with his quick-fire cameo of 25 runs off just 14 balls with the help of one four and two sixes. However, the effort from the star all-rounder was not enough to save the game for the Indian team, as they lost the game by 34 runs.
Next challenge for India
After enduring a tough start to the series, Sheryas Iyer-led side will aim to bounce back strongly with a win to draw the series 1-1. The Men in Blue will lock against the Irish team in the second T20I on Sunday, June 28 at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast. The game will start at 6:00 PM IST. Currently, Ireland leads the two-game series by 1-0.
It will be interesting to see if Shreyas Iyer can lead from the front to draw his maiden series as a captain. If the team ends up in the losing side, it would be a big setback ahead of the big five-game T20I series against Ireland which will be a testing assignment for Iyer as a skipper.