India's troubles continued in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland as the reigning T20 World Champions found themselves on the brink of another defeat in the second match. After losing the series opener, the visitors endured another disastrous start in their chase of 154, slipping to 77/5 before eventually reaching 95/5 after 14 overs.
The collapse began on the very first delivery of India's innings when Sanju Samson departed for a golden duck. It got even worse moments later as explosive opener Abhishek Sharma also returned to the pavilion without opening his account, earning an unwanted place in the record books.
Abhishek Sharma enters unwanted list after first-ball dismissal
Sharma attempted to pull Ireland pacer Jai Moondra off the very first ball he faced but failed to connect cleanly. The mistimed shot was brilliantly caught by Matthew Hollard, who completed a stunning catch in the opening over to send the left-hander back for a first-ball duck.
With his dismissal, Sharma registered his sixth duck in T20 Internationals in the 2026 calendar year, becoming the third player with the most ducks in T20Is in a calendar year among Full Member nations.
Most ducks in T20Is in a calendar year (Full Member teams):
Saim Ayub – 7 (2025)
Richard Ngarava – 6 (2024)
Abhishek Sharma – 6 (2026)*
The early setback added further pressure on India's fragile batting lineup as Ireland seized complete control of the contest.
Prince Yadav shines with ball but India struggle in chase
Earlier in the match, India's bowlers produced a disciplined performance to restrict Ireland to 154 runs. Debutant Prince Yadav impressed with three wickets from his four-over spell, while Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube picked up two wickets apiece. Harshit Rana also chipped in with one wicket.
However, India's batting failed to capitalize on the bowling effort. Jai Moondra wreaked havoc with the new ball, claiming three wickets in his opening three overs, while Matthew Hollard added another scalp to leave the visitors reeling.
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At the time of writing, India were 109/6 after 17th over in pursuit of 154. Should they fail to complete the chase, it would mark India's first bilateral T20I series defeat since their tour of the West Indies in 2023.