Ireland secured a 34-run victory over India in the first T20 International at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast. Defending a target of 182, the Irish bowling attack dismissed the visitors for 148 in 18.5 overs to close out the match.
Key Details
- This marks Ireland’s first-ever international cricket win against India.
- Captain Lorcan Tucker top-scored for the hosts with a 36-ball 50.
- Abhishek Sharma hit a 20-ball 50 for India during the run chase.
- Shreyas Iyer made his debut as India’s T20I captain.
The victory ends a long winless streak for the hosts against the Men in Blue. Prior to this outcome, Ireland had lost all 11 previous meetings against India across ODI and T20 formats.
Ireland established their total early, recovering from 51/4 to reach 182/9 in their allotted 20 overs. India’s run chase began aggressively, driven by opener Abhishek Sharma. However, the momentum shifted away from the visitors after the powerplay. Matthew Humphreys took 3/38, supported by Matthew Hollard (3/28) and Jai Moondra (2/26), entirely derailing the Indian batting lineup.
Shreyas Iyer watched his side fall short in his first game as captain since succeeding T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. Speaking in the post-match presentation, Iyer noted that India’s bowlers “lost execution” in the middle overs, allowing Ireland to post a competitive total.
Cricket Ireland experienced unprecedented ticket demand leading up to the game. Much of the interest came from the Indian diaspora hoping to watch teenage prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his debut and become the youngest-ever international cricketer. Ultimately, Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing eleven for this match.