New Delhi: Jai Mundra admits he still finds it hard to believe what happened after Ireland inspired one of the greatest moments in the country’s cricketing history, with emotional celebrations erupting after the hosts secured a 2-0 T20I series sweep against defending world champions India.The Tonk, a software engineer from Rajasthan, made his debut for Ireland in the series and was named Man of the Match and Player of the Series after once again dismantling India’s star-studded batting line-up. Moondra 32 for 3, except Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and captain Shreyas IyerIreland defended their title with 154 points, sealing victory with a dramatic one-point win at Stormont.Videos released after the match captured jubilant scenes as Ireland’s players celebrated a landmark victory that secured their first series win over India in any format and ended the visitors’ 16-match series win streak in T20Is.
“Still trying to soak in the feeling.”
Despite becoming the unlikely hero of the series, Mudra said the significance of the achievement has not yet fully sunk in.“Still trying to soak in the feeling. I know it’s hard to describe it in one word. It’s an amazing feeling to play against the best players and test yourself,” he said.The left-arm pacer revealed that his approach throughout the series has been to stick to the basics.“So, just do the basics longer, that’s the plan. Credit to the team members and management. Keep it simple. There will be tough moments, but stay calm and collected and do your thing,” he explained.Mudra also reflected on the setbacks he had overcome before reaching this stage of his career.“Everyone has ups and downs, so you just have to hang in there and keep going through it. That’s it.”WATCH: Ireland players celebrate historic win
“They made me feel like one of them”
The 29-year-old believes the dressing room environment in Ireland has helped him ease into international cricket.“They made me feel like I was one of them, no different. It was great, the environment was great, the people were great. So I just fulfilled the responsibilities they gave me,” he said.When asked about bowling to veteran opener Sanju Samson, Mudra said that despite the challenges he faced, he never deviated from his plan.“Keep it simple and do what you’ve been doing. It’s going to be tough and there’s little room for error. So just keep doing what you’ve been doing and stick to the plan,” he added.His disciplined execution paid off handsomely as he struck out Samson and Abhishek Sharma before sending back Iyer to leave India at 4 for 35.Even after picking up the Man of the Series award after just two international outings, Mudla admitted the fairy tale was difficult to fathom.“Oh, I’m still trying to process it,” Mudra said.For Ireland, the celebrations reflected more than just another bilateral series victory. After picking up their first win with another thrilling performance, Lorcan Tucker’s side proved their breakthrough success was no fluke, posting arguably the greatest T20I run in United States history against the best teams in the world.
