Ireland produced a stunning performance to defeat India by one run in the second and final T20I in Belfast, completing a historic 2-0 series sweep over the T20 World Cup champions.
Chasing a target of 155, India managed 153/9 in 20 overs despite a fighting half-century from Tilak Varma. The left-handed batter scored 55 off 46 balls, but his dismissal after reaching fifty ended India’s hopes. Shivam Dube contributed 20 runs, while the rest of the Indian batting lineup struggled against Ireland’s disciplined bowling attack.
Earlier, Ireland posted 154/8 after being put into bat first. Harry Tector played a crucial innings of 53 runs, holding the Irish innings together after early setbacks. Lorcan Tucker and other batters provided valuable contributions to help Ireland set a competitive total.
For India, debutant Prince Yadav impressed with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs in his first T20I appearance. Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube also picked up two wickets each, restricting Ireland from reaching a bigger score.
The defeat marked a major setback for India as it ended their remarkable unbeaten run of 16 bilateral T20I series. Their winning streak had started against Ireland in August 2023, and ironically, the same team brought it to an end.
The loss also marked a difficult start to Shreyas Iyer’s full-time T20I captaincy, with India losing both matches of the series.
