Ireland registered a historic one-run victory over T20I World Cup champions India in the second T20I at Belfast on Sunday, securing a 2-0 series win. This marks Ireland's first-ever series victory over India in any format and ends India's remarkable 16-series winning streak in T20Is.
Ireland's commanding start and India's chase
Ireland, who won the first match by 34 runs, batted first and posted 154/8 in 20 overs. India's debutant Prince Yadav impressed with figures of 3/22 in four overs. Chasing 155, India suffered an early collapse as Ireland pacer Jai Moondra struck twice in his opening over, dismissing Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for golden ducks. Skipper Shreyas Iyer (10) also fell to Moondra, and a mix-up led to Ishan Kishan's run-out, leaving India at 39/4 in five overs.
Tilak Varma fought back with a resilient 55 off 46 balls, but wickets kept falling. Matthew Hollard claimed 3/26 in four overs, keeping India under pressure. At 121/8 after 18 overs, the chase seemed out of reach.
Nail-biting final over
Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh added 14 runs in the 19th over, leaving India needing 20 off the final over. Ireland captain Harry Tector bowled the last over, which began dramatically as he conceded a no-ball and a wide. India scored 12 runs from the first four deliveries, but Harshit Rana was dismissed on the penultimate ball. Debutant Prince Yadav struck a six off the last ball, but India fell short by one run, handing Ireland a 2-0 series victory.
Ireland's disciplined bowling effort
Earlier, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Harshit Rana removed opener Tim Tector (5) in the second over, and Arshdeep Singh dismissed Ross Adair (16) soon after. At the end of the Powerplay, Ireland were 44/2. Prince Yadav claimed his maiden T20I wicket by dismissing Lorcan Tucker (15) caught behind, reducing Ireland to 48/3.
Harry Tector then anchored the innings with a composed half-century (53 off 47 balls), sharing a crucial 65-run partnership with Benjamin Calitz (37 off 23 balls). Shivam Dube (2/25) broke the stand in the 15th over, removing Calitz and Gareth Delany (0) in quick succession. Axar Patel bowled a tight spell (0/28 in 4 overs). Tector was dismissed by Prince Yadav in the final over, and Yadav also removed Liam McCarthy to finish with 3/22. The Irish tail pushed the total past 150 before India struck twice in the final six deliveries.
This series win marks a historic milestone for Irish cricket, as they defeated the T20I world champions on home soil.
