Ajay Kumar Verma
Ireland’s Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard dismantled the Indian batting line-up with three-wicket hauls as the visitors could only manage 153-9 after Ireland, put in to bat, posted 154-8 on a cloudy afternoon in Belfast.
The loss marked India’s first T20 bilateral series defeat since 2023 and Shreyas Iyer’s first series loss as India skipper.
“It’s hard to describe… it’s an amazing feeling. I’m still trying to process it,” said player-of-the-series Moondra.
Moondra dismissed Indian openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in the very first over, and bowled captain Shreyas Iyer in the third over, leaving India reeling at 19-3.
Tilak Varma’s fighting knock of 55 brought India close to the target, and the side needed eight runs to win from the last two balls, but Harshit Rana was caught trying to hit Harry Tector for a six off the penultimate delivery to seal Ireland’s win.
“Kudos to (Ireland), the way they played. Showed professionalism, had tremendous idea of how the wicket was going to play,” Iyer said.
India next visits England for a five-match T20 series starting July 1, followed by three ODIs.
Published on Jun 28, 2026
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