Ireland scripted history on Thursday by defeating India by 34 runs in the first T20I in Belfast, registering their maiden victory over India in international cricket across all formats. The win also gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Leading India in T20Is for the first time as full-time captain, Shreyas Iyer endured a disappointing start as his side failed to chase down a competitive target of 183. The defeat marked one of India’s most surprising losses in recent years.
Asked to bat first, Ireland recovered from early setbacks thanks to a brilliant partnership between captain Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany. Tucker struck a crucial half-century, while Delany narrowly missed out on one as the duo revived the innings after Ireland had slipped to 36/3. Ireland eventually posted a challenging total of 182/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
For India, Harshit Rana was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel chipped in with two wickets each. Despite reducing Ireland to 36/3 early in the innings, India failed to capitalise as Tucker and Delany took control of the match.
Chasing 183, India began aggressively with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge. The opener smashed a rapid half-century and became the fastest Indian to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced. However, regular wickets derailed the chase, with the middle order failing to provide support. India were eventually bowled out for 148, falling 34 runs short of the target.
The victory is being hailed as one of the greatest moments in Irish cricket history, as Ireland became the latest team to register a T20I win over the reigning world champions. The hosts will now look to seal the series in the second and final match.
