The Indian team endured a tough and surprising loss against Ireland in the first T20I, which was played in Belfast on Friday, June 26. While chasing 183 runs in the second innings Indian team was bundled out on 148, eventually losing the game by 34 runs. It was not a desirable captaincy debut for Shreyas Iyer as he has become the fourth Indian skipper to lose his maiden T20I as captain. He joined an unwanted list featuring Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill.
Shreyas Iyer joins unwanted list
Virat Kohli's first T20I as India skipper ended up in a defeat against in Kanpur 2017. Rishabh Pant also endured a loss against South Africa in Delhi while leading the Men in Blue for the first time in 2022. Notably Shubman Gill also kicked off his T20I captaincy stint with a defeat against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2024. After Ireland's surprising win, Shreyas Iyer has now joined that list.
Indian captains to lose first T20I:
| Indian Captain | Opponent & Venue | Year |
| Virat Kohli | vs. England, Kanpur | 2017 |
| Rishabh Pant | vs. South Africa, Delhi | 2022 |
| Shubman Gill | vs. Zimbabwe, Harare | 2024 |
| Shreyas Iyer | vs. Ireland, Belfast | 2026 |
Flop batting show from India against Ireland
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.
What's next 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.
Shreyas Iyer would wish to secure a win in the second game before facing a relatively strong opponent in England in a five-game T20I series. Without a doubt, Shreyas Iyer's captaincy took a daunting start and it will be interesting to see how the entire team comes back in the second game against the Irish side.