Ireland does the unthinkable as they downed India by one run in the second T20I at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast to sweep the series 2-0 on June 28. This was reigning T20 World Cup champions' first T20I series defeat after August, 2023.
India's shocking T20I series defeat to Ireland
Batting first Ireland posted a total of 154. In reply, India failed to chase down the target and fell short by just one run to end their winning streak of 12 T20I series.
The shocking series defeat also brought a challenging start to Shreyas Iyer’s tenure as the newly appointed T20 captain. Remarkably, this was the national team's very first assignment in the shortest format since capturing the T20 World Cup title in March. To find India's last bilateral T20 series loss, one would have to look back to their 3-2 defeat against the West Indies in 2023.
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The tour also left fans wondering about selection choices, as teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to make the starting XI for either of the two matches. In the final game, after electing to bowl first, the Indian bowling unit put up a solid fight by restricting the hosts to 154/8. Ireland's innings was anchored by a steady 53 off 47 balls from Harry Tector, while Indian debutant Prince Yadav made an immediate splash on the international stage with an impressive spell of 3/22.
The chase, however, got off to a disastrous start. Despite a resilient 55 from Tilak Varma, the visitors were plagued by an early batting collapse from which they could never fully recover. India's efforts fell agonizingly short as they were held to 153/9 in their 20 overs, handing Ireland a thrilling one-run victory and cementing a historic 2-0 series sweep for the hosts.
Prince Yadav's dream debut ruined
Earlier, an impressive bowling performance guided India to a dominant position in the second T20 International, restricting Ireland to a below-par 154 for eight on Sunday. Debutant Prince Yadav made an immediate impact, putting early pressure on Lorcan Tucker with testing short-pitched deliveries before having him caught behind for 15. Prior to that, Harshit Rana struck early by forcing Tim Tector into a mistimed pull shot to mid-wicket, while Arshdeep Singh outsmarted Ross Adair with a well-directed good-length ball that was easily caught at extra cover by Tilak Varma, leaving the hosts stuttering at 48 for three.
Ireland managed a brief recovery through a 65-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Ben Calitz and Harry Tector, who was celebrating his 100th international match with a steady, anchor-style half-century. Calitz showed excellent intent, smartly targetings the shorter square boundaries to launch an aggressive attack against debutant Suryansh Shedge, plundering 22 runs from a single over of medium pace.
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However, Shivam Dube provided the decisive breakthrough just as Ireland threatened to accelerate in the final overs. Dube turned the game on its head with consecutive deliveries, first removing the dangerous Calitz via a catch in the deep, and then perfectly execution an off-cutter that shattered Gareth Delany's stumps. Alongside Dube's double-strike, Axar Patel and Prince Yadav kept a tight lid on the scoring during the middle phase, using hard lengths and clever variations to completely stall the Irish lower order. Backed by Captain Shreyas Iyer's sharp tactical rotations, the Indian bowling unit clinical halted the opposition's momentum to keep the target well within reach.
India's shaky run-chase, Moondra strikes again
The Indian run chase began in catastrophic fashion as Jai Moondra wreaked havoc early on, dismissing both Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for golden ducks. He followed up by removing skipper Shreyas Iyer shortly after, leaving the visitors reeling at a dismal 19/3 within the opening three overs.
The situation grew even more dire when Ishan Kishan was run out, but Tilak Varma and Axar Patel managed to temporarily stabilize the innings with a cautious partnership. Following Axar's departure, Tilak took charge of the chase alongside Shivam Dube, helping India claw their way back into the contest.
However, Ireland consistently found breakthroughs at pivotal moments. Matt Humphreys dismissed Dube just as India began to build serious momentum, while Matt Hollard ran through the middle order—taking the crucial scalps of Axar, Tilak, and Suryansh Shedge—to finish with stellar figures of 3/26.
A late, explosive cameo of 21 from just 10 balls by Harshit Rana, combined with a final-ball six from Prince Yadav, dragged the thrilling contest down to the absolute wire. Despite the late heroics, India finished their 20 overs at 153/9, falling agonizingly short by a single run.
Having already dropped the opening match of the series by 34 runs, this second defeat sealed a historic result for Ireland, marking their first-ever series win against the reigning world champions after eight previous failed attempts. The Men in Blue will look to quickly regroup as they head to England for a five-match T20 series kicking off on July 1.