Ireland vs India (Photo by Getty Images)
Ireland made history on Friday by beating India for the first time in international cricket, registering a memorable 34-run win in the opening T20I at Stormont in Belfast.
The result came as a huge surprise, considering that India entered the series as T20 World Cup champions under new skipper Shreyas Iyer.
The unexpected result also sparked a reaction from former India player Irfan Pathan, who expressed his shock on social media. “Amazing. Didn’t think I would see the result of the India-Ireland match. Ireland played well,” Pathan wrote on X after the match.
After being asked to bat first, Ireland posted a competitive total of 182/9.
Captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delaney scored 49 off 32 deliveries.The hosts then produced a disciplined bowling performance to bowl India out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Debutant Matt Hollard starred with figures of 3/28 in four overs and was named man of the match, while fellow debutant Jay Mundra also played a key role in restricting the visitors. For India, Harshit Rana took 3/24, while Abhishek Sharma’s 50 off 20 balls was the only bright spot in the chase.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker praised the importance of the win after the match. “It was a bit of a test match. I think it’s very special to beat the world champions on their home turf. Credit to the players. All the work behind the scenes of Irish cricket,” he said.Meanwhile, India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that his team failed but remained optimistic ahead of the second T20I. “Initially, the bowlers were poison. But between us we lost execution and let them hit us straight down the ground, where the boundaries are smaller. I thought 140 would be a good score to chase, given the start we had with the ball. But yeah, a great start as a captain. For sure, we will forget what happened and there is a lot to learn from this match. We will come out all guns blazing in the next match,” Iyer said.