Jay Mundra sends off Sanju Samson for the golden duck, which led to a historic collapse (X-Cricbuzz)
Ireland scripted one of the biggest victories in cricket history on Sunday, edging T20 World Cup champions India by one run in the second T20I to complete a thrilling 2-0 series sweep at the Civil Service Cricket Club at Stormont.The victory was Ireland’s first ever win in a bilateral series over India and brought an end to the visitors’ impressive run of 16 consecutive T20I series victories, a run that has extended to 2023. Despite not having a regular starting five, Lorcan Tucker’s side produced two disciplined performances to overcome the Asian giants in both matches.
India’s chase of 155 was held together by Tilak Varma, whose fifty kept the contest alive until the closing stages.
However, Jay Mundra’s powerful opening spell, followed by lethal bowling from the Irish attack, proved decisive as the hosts managed to defend modestly.The Irish bowling unit stood out again across the series, with Mundra and Matthew Hollard each taking three wickets in the second match. For India, the defeat exposed familiar issues, particularly their struggles against left-arm pace and adapting to conditions outside the Indian Premier League.
The chase collapsed almost immediately. Mundra struck twice in his opening to remove both Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for ducks first ball. Samson, was trapped by a pound after missing a quick tap during a chute delivery. Two balls later, Abhishek miscued a short ball and it was caught by third man.India’s woes deepened when skipper Shreyas Iyer clipped a single onto the stumps from Mundra after scoring 10. Ishan Kishan tried to rebuild alongside Tilak Varma, but confusion between the wickets led to a 12-run run out.
With the scoreboard reading 39 for 4 inside the Powerplay, India lost four wickets within the first six for only the 13th time in T20I history.Varma responded with composure, finding successive boundaries off Moondra through the leg side before sharing a 32-run partnership with Axar Patel to stabilize the innings. A brief rain interruption disrupted play, but the pair ensured India remained in contention despite the required rate continuing to climb.Ireland struck again after the restart when Matthew Hollard sent off Axar Patel. Trying to direct the ball, Axar instead found Lorcan Tucker, who completed a brilliant one-handed dive to his left behind the stumps.Shivam Dube briefly injected momentum with a pair of boundaries before slotting it through deep square leg off Matthew Humphries. Meanwhile, Varma continued to steady the innings and reached his half-century in 45 balls by firing off India’s first six overs, sending Hollard over deep mid-wicket.But his stay ended immediately after that. As the pitch cleared again, Varma mistimed a soaring drive to extra cover, while debutant Suryansh Shidge followed soon after after failing to clear the larger boundary and falling to deep mid-wicket.Harshit Rana then launched a late counter-attack to keep India’s hopes alive. He drove Moondra through point for four before bowling a long-on six to pull the equation to the required 20 from the final over.
Rana added another boundary from a free hit after the ball evaded the wicket-keeper, while Harry Tector conceded two wide to lift India’s hopes.However, Tector held his nerve when it mattered most, causing Rana to take a long pause. Prince Yadav made a six off the final delivery, but India eventually finished on 153 for 9, trailing agonizingly by one run.Earlier, Ireland recovered from an uncertain start to score 154 for 8 after being asked to bat first. Harry Tector anchored the innings with 53, while Ben Calitz contributed a valuable 37. New Prince Yadav impressed with figures of 3 for 22, and Shivam Dubey scored 2 for 25.Brief scores: Ireland 154/8 in 20 overs (Harry Tector 53, Ben Calitz 37; Prince Yadav 3-22, Shivam Dubey 2-25) beat India 153/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 55, Harshit Rana 21; Matthew Hollard 3-26, Jay Mundra 3-32) by one run.