Ireland stunned India with a convincing 34-run victory in the opening T20I of their two-match series at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday. It marked a historic first win for Ireland against India in any format. Harshit Rana (3/24) claimed three wickets as India, who chose to bowl first, held Ireland to 182 for 9. Prasidh Krishna endured a nightmare spell, conceding 57 runs across four overs without a single wicket. Host skipper Lorcan Tucker struck a composed 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delany chipped in with a vital 49 off 32. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing XI. In reply, Abhishek Sharma blazed his way to 50 off just 20 balls, but India crumbled without adequate support and were dismissed for 148 in 18.5 overs. Ireland Secures a Landmark Win Over India.
TOSS
India won the toss and elected to field.
PLAYING XI
Ireland:
Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard
India:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
IRELAND
Ireland came out swinging after being put in to bat, with Tim Tector launching a six in the opening over and Ross Adair striking back-to-back boundaries to kick off the second. India fought back through Rana, who removed Adair later in that same over. Tim Tector escaped trouble in the third over when Dube grassed a catch, but his brother Harry wasn’t so fortunate, falling for a golden duck to Arshdeep Singh just three deliveries later. Tim Tector then departed in the very next over, and the final two overs of the Powerplay passed without a single boundary, leaving Ireland struggling at 36/3.
Ben Calitz launched Prasidh Krishna for two sixes in the seventh over, but holed out off Dube the following over. Tucker and Delany came together at a critical juncture, forging a steady 64-run partnership before shifting gears from the 13th over onwards. India wasted an early opportunity to break the stand when Abhishek put down a simple catch offered by Delany in the 11th over.
Tucker brought up his fifty off 36 balls in the 14th over but couldn’t push on, falling to Rana in the 15th. India failed to capitalize on the breakthrough, with the next two overs hemorrhaging 19 and 27 runs, respectively. The carnage was sparked by George Dockrell dispatching a Washington Sundar full toss over the ropes. He followed it with a pair of boundaries, then another to open the next over, before Delany joined the assault with a four and three consecutive sixes off Prasidh.
Ireland appeared destined for an even bigger total, but it never quite arrived. Two disciplined Axar overs, each yielding a wicket, sandwiched a tidy effort from Arshdeep, and Ireland wrapped up with a competitive rather than dominant 182/9 — a total that ultimately proved more than sufficient to etch their name in history.
INDIA
Abhishek Sharma gave India a blistering start, pulling Humphreys for a six and a four off the first two deliveries. At the other end, Moondra made an unforgettable entry into international cricket, sending Sanju Samson back with his very first delivery. That setback barely slowed Abhishek, who smashed a six off Moondra before mauling Liam McCarthy for four boundaries in the following over. Fellow debutant Hollard then struck twice in quick succession — removing Ishan Kishan off his second delivery and returning later to dismiss Iyer — leaving India at 68/3 at the close of the Powerplay.
With little of the strike available, Abhishek still reached his fifty off just 19 balls in the eighth over before perishing later in the same over. Ireland tightened their grip through disciplined spin bowling in the middle overs. Tilak Varma never settled and was dismissed by Humphreys in the 11th over, while Hollard continued his dream debut by accounting for Washington Sundar in the 12th to claim his third wicket. Scoring dried up considerably as Ireland maintained their stranglehold.
Chasing 54 off the final five overs with only four wickets remaining, India were under severe pressure, and it told when a well-set Shivam Dube fell in the 16th over. Ireland’s confidence soared further when Axar Patel departed the following over. Harshit Rana kept Indian hopes flickering with a crucial six off Moondra in the 18th over, and was even handed a lifeline when Harry Tector dropped a straightforward chance at long-on. It mattered little, however, as Rana perished off the very next ball. Ireland sealed the win in the same over when Arshdeep Singh skied one to long-on.
Brief Scores:
Ireland 182/9 in 20 overs (Lorcan Tucker 50, Gareth Delany 49; Harshit Rana 3-24) beat India 148 all-out in 18.3 overs (Abhishek 50, Shivam Dube 25; Matthew Hollard 3-28, Matthew Humphreys 3-38) by 34 runs.
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