BELFAST: In a historic cricketing upset, Ireland secured their first-ever victory against India across any format, defeating the reigning T20 World champions by 34 runs in the opening T20 International at the Stormont Cricket Ground.
After India won the toss and elected to bowl first, Ireland overcame an early stutter to post a competitive total of 182/9 in their allotted 20 overs.Captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with a vital knock of 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delany provided explosive support with an entertaining 49 off 32 deliveries.
For India, Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers, registering career-best figures of 3/24, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel claimed two wickets apiece.
Prasidh Krishna endured a tough outing, leaking 57 runs in his four overs.
Chasing 183, India’s newly revamped squad—playing their first series under new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer—faltered under pressure.
Despite a blistering half-century from opener Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 50 off just 20 balls, the rest of the batting lineup collapsed.Sanju Samson (5), Ishan Kishan (1), and skipper Iyer (3) fell cheaply, leaving the lower order with too much to do.
Shivam Dube tried to revive the chase with a quickfire 25, but Ireland’s disciplined bowling unit kept chipping away at the wickets.
India was ultimately bundled out for 148 runs in 18.5 overs.
Ireland’s Matthew Hollard and Matthew Humphreys tore through the Indian lineup, taking three wickets each to wrap up a historic 34-run triumph and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
