Ireland stun India to register first-ever win in international cricket
Captain Lorcan Tucker struck a crucial half-century before Ireland's bowlers dismantled India's star-studded batting line-up to seal a 34-run victory in the opening T20I in Belfast.
Ireland scripted history by defeating India for the first time in any format, securing a 34-run victory in the opening match of the two-match T20I series in Belfast today (24 June).
The hosts produced an all-round display to overcome the reigning T20 world champions, taking a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of Sunday's (28 June) second and final match.
Asked to bat first, Ireland recovered from a shaky start to post a competitive 182/9 in their allotted 20 overs after slipping to 30/3 early in the innings.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Captain Lorcan Tucker led the recovery with a composed half-century, while Gareth Delany narrowly missed out on a fifty, scoring 49 off 32 deliveries.
The pair accelerated the scoring in the closing stages, with Ireland collecting 46 runs across the 16th and 17th overs to give the innings a strong finish.
India's bowlers had made early inroads through Harshit Rana, who claimed 3/24 after dismissing both Irish openers. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up two wickets apiece.
In reply, India's much-vaunted batting line-up failed to build partnerships and were bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs.
Abhishek Sharma provided the lone bright spot for the visitors with a blistering 49 off just 20 balls, but none of the other batters managed to produce a match-defining innings as Ireland's bowlers maintained control throughout the chase.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys and Matt Hollard starred with three wickets each, while debutant Jai Moondra enjoyed an impressive start to his international career, returning figures of 2/25 from his four overs.
Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who received his maiden India call-up for the series, did not feature in the playing XI as the visitors retained the opening combination that helped them win the ICC Men's T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The two sides will meet again in the second and final T20I on Sunday, with India looking to level the series and Ireland aiming to complete a memorable clean sweep.
