Ireland create history with series whitewash against India

Following their first-ever international victory against India, Ireland completed a historic series whitewash with a thrilling one-run win in the second and final T20I in Belfast. Defending a target of 154 runs, the hosts restricted India to 153 for 9 in their designated 20 overs, securing a memorable 2-0 series triumph.

India’s chase got off to a disastrous start, losing opener Sanju Samson for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. Abhishek Sharma followed shortly after in the same over, leaving the visitors reeling at 19 for 3 within 2.4 overs. Debutant pacer Jay Mundra caused early damage by picking up two wickets in his opening over to dismantle India's top order, leaving them four wickets down within the powerplay.

Despite the regular fall of wickets at one end, Tilak Varma spearheaded the resistance with a responsible 55-run knock to keep India's hopes alive. However, his dismissal in the 18th over swung the momentum completely back to Ireland. Despite some late tension in the final over, India fell just one run short of the target.

Earlier in the match, Ireland posted 154 for 8 after being put in to bat. Harry Tector top-scored for the hosts with a vital 47-ball 53, anchoring the innings to set up a competitive total. For India, debutant Prince Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3 for 22, while Arshdeep Singh claimed two wickets.

Jay Mundra was named Player of the Match for his decisive spell of 3 for 32, adding to his 2 for 25 in the opening fixture, which also earned him the Player of the Series award. The opening match had seen another debutant pacer, Matt Hollard, claim the Player of the Match honors.

Prior to this bilateral series, Ireland had never beaten India in 11 international encounters across formats. This historic achievement also marks a successful start for newly appointed T20I captain Lorcan Tucker, who led the side to victory despite missing five regular frontline pacers, including Josh Little, Mark Adair, and Curtis Campher. Conversely, Shreyas Iyer's tenure as India's T20I captain began on a disappointing note, with the team selection also drawing scrutiny after 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi was left out of the playing XI for both fixtures. Ireland had previously won the series opener by 34 runs.