Tilak VarmaA fighting half-century was one of the few positives from India’s dramatic one-run loss to Ireland in the second T20I on Sunday, but the southpaw also found himself on the persona list after posting one of India’s slowest 50s in T20 internationals.With India in deep trouble following the collapse of top order, Tilak reached his half-century mark by delivering 45 aircraft in the pursuit of 155 aircraft at Stormont. The knock now ranks jointly as India’s sixth-slowest in 50 T20Is and the slowest half-century by an Indian batsman against Ireland in that format.India’s slowest T20I 50 seconds (by ball)56 Kuala Lumpur Rahul vs Trivandrum South 202254 G Gambier vs Melbourne Australia 201249 SK Yadav vs New York USA 202448 V Colley vs Bridgetown South 202445 V Kohli vs Pak Dubai 202145 T Varma vs Ire Belfast 2026*However, the situation is extraordinary. India was initially shaken by the dismissal of Jai Moondra, a software engineer-turned-cricket player from Tonk, Rajasthan who still held an Indian passport. Sanzhou Samson and Abhishek Sharma Duck for first ball before deposing captain Shreyas Iyer Leave tourists stunned.India win 4 and lose 35 in Powerplay matches Ishan Kishan Being depleted, Tilak was tasked with rebuilding the innings on a surface that provided movement, uneven bounce and seams throughout the chase.Unlike several other teammates who struggled to acclimate, Tilak adopted a patient approach and withstood the pressure before forming a valuable partnership with Axar Patel. He eventually scored a fifty in India’s first six innings by throwing Matthew Hollard to deep mid-wicket.However, this milestone proved short-lived. Tilak tried to strike again after the next ball, but he misdirected a high shot into extra cover and made 55 off 46 deliveries, ending India’s best hopes of completing the chase.Harshit Rana’s late cameo of 21 off just 10 balls briefly revived India’s hopes, but Ireland mustered the courage to restrict India to 153 for 9 to seal a famous one-run victory and complete a historic 2-0 series sweep over the reigning T20 World Cup champions.The defeat also ended India’s run of 16 consecutive T20I series wins dating back to 2023, while Ireland celebrated their first win over India in a bilateral T20I series.
