Ireland stun India by 34 runs for a historic first win in Belfast
Ireland had lost all eight of their previous meetings with India. Not the ninth: they defended 182 at Stormont to send the tourists crashing to 148 and leave Shreyas Iyer’s reign as T20I captain starting with a defeat.
Jun 26, 2026
This is the biggest day Irish cricket has had in a long while. At a sun-baked Stormont on Friday, Ireland defended 182 to beat India by 34 runs in the opening T20I, sealing a first win over India after eight straight defeats and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. India, captained for the first time by Shreyas Iyer, were bowled out for 148 with more than an over unused.
Tucker and Delany give Ireland a total to bowl at
Put in to bat after India chose to field, Ireland posted 182 for 9. Captain Lorcan Tucker led the way with 50, and Gareth Delany gave the innings its punch with 49. India clawed something back at the death, with Harshit Rana picking up three wickets, but a total in the 180s on this ground was always going to ask hard questions of a reshuffled batting order.
India’s chase comes apart
The reply was a mess almost from the start. Sanju Samson chopped on for 5 against the left-arm seam of Jay Moondra, and debutant Matt Hollard then ripped through the top order, removing Ishan Kishan in his first over and Iyer in his second. Abhishek Sharma alone looked at ease, racing to a 19-ball half-century, but the moment he fell for 50 the innings folded. Tilak Varma’s 19 was the next-best score, and from a position where the chase was still alive, India lost their way completely and were dismissed for 148 in 18.5 overs. Hollard finished with 3 for 28 on debut.
A chastening first night for Iyer
It is a rough way for the Iyer era to begin. He was handed the T20I captaincy after Suryakumar Yadav stepped aside following India’s T20 World Cup win earlier this year, and his first task is now to stop a two-match series against Ireland from slipping away. India had also chosen to leave 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of the XI. Iyer called him “a gun player” but said the side was backing batters who “have done well for us,” adding that the teenager would get his chance in time. On this evidence, the established names have plenty to answer for.
The series resumes at the same ground on Sunday, where India must win to avoid handing Ireland a famous series victory. For Ireland, a side that has chased this result for years, one more good day would turn an upset into something they will talk about for a generation.