Ireland cricket team delivered a historic performance by defeating India within the opening T20I of the two-match series in Belfast on Friday, June 26. Entering the match because the reigning 2026 T20 World Cup champions, the Men in Blue suffered an unexpected 34-run defeat. After electing to bat first, Ireland encountered early setbacks, slipping to 30/3 within the initial phase of the innings.
Nevertheless, captain Lorcan Tucker (50 off 36) and Gareth Delany (49 off 32) played crucial knocks to revive the innings and guide their side to a competitive total of 182/9. India lost three wickets contained in the powerplay but maintained a brisk scoring rate.
The chase looked under control until Abhishek Sharma fell for a blazing 49 off just 20 balls, leaving the visitors in serious trouble at 80/4. From there, wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals, stopping any meaningful recovery.
Ultimately, Shreyas Iyer and his side were bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs, falling well short against an Ireland team missing five key players resulting from injuries. Fans expressed strong frustration after India’s loss to an understrength Ireland cricket team side, as their reactions highlighted the widespread disappointment.
Meanwhile, World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav was surprisingly omitted from the lineup, with Shreyas Iyertaking over as India’s latest T20I captain.
Ireland beat India by 34 runs in the primary T20 of the series.#INDvsIRE pic.twitter.com/ezqQ7uNbnT
— Tamanna e Dil (@ishqsufiyana00) June 26, 2026
India all out vs mighty Ireland – 148/10
India was never this clueless under captain SKY 😭🤣 https://t.co/QWHJBNoX3s pic.twitter.com/3FgYhUAReY
— jesse PINKMAN (@dimpuKLR) June 26, 2026
🚨 HISTORY CREATED BY IRELAND! 🇮🇪🔥
Ireland have defeated India for the very first time in international cricket! 🤯
After never beating India in either ODIs or T20Is, they’ve finally broken the streak with a famous victory. 👏🏏#INDvsIRE pic.twitter.com/H116FnZtPE
— Farhan Majeed (@MBilawalMajeed) June 26, 2026
And that is where India’s downfall began. Ireland beat India for the primary time, well done Ireland!! 🔥#INDvsIRE pic.twitter.com/pBwT6uJDOI
— 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗻 (@crushaapka) June 26, 2026
10 minute silence for each cricket fan who thought Ind vs Ire T20I series was going to be a cakewalk for World Champions India 😲😂🤦🏻♂️😐
— Ayush (@imAyush97) June 26, 2026
@GautamGambhir you attempting to destroy @mdsirajofficial carrier due to @imVkohli because Siraj and Virat are good friends . See Ire vs Ind match and your favourite @prasidh43 and Rana bowling .
Shame on you .— Real Hindustani (@NadeemK96207843) June 26, 2026
The best human being and probably the most selfless person on Earth… the GOAT, the savior, the good Gautam Gambhir. He hates Dhoni , Rohit ,and Kohli because they’re superstars. Gambhir the good ,i salute you . You lost to Ireland, best player and coach , politically BJP .…
— Amritashya Saikia (@amritashya) June 26, 2026
India will look to make a powerful comeback and draw the series level within the second match on Sunday, June 28, at the identical venue.
Ireland Script History With Maiden International Win Over India
Defeating the world champions was a remarkable achievement by itself, however the win carried even greater significance for Ireland cricket team because it marked their first-ever victory over India in international cricket across all formats.
Prior to this encounter, the Men in Blue had maintained a flawless record against Ireland, winning all eight T20Is between the 2 sides. India had also emerged victorious in all three ODIs played against the Irish side, while the 2 teams are yet to face one another in a Test match.
In consequence, Lorcan Tucker, Ireland’s newly appointed T20I captain, became the primary skipper from his nation to steer the team to a global victory over India.
Get the most recent cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.