Ireland made history on Friday by defeating India for the first time in international cricket, registering a memorable 34-run victory in the first T20I at Stormont, Belfast. The result came as a surprise considering India entered the series as the defending T20 World Cup champions under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The unexpected result also drew a reaction from former India all-rounder Irrfan Pathan, who took to social media to express his shock. “Wow. Didn’t think I would see the scoreline of India vs. Ireland. Ireland played well,” Pathan wrote on X after the match.After being asked to bat first, Ireland posted a total of 182/9. Captain Lorcan Tucker led the way with 50 off 36 balls while Gareth Delany scored 49 off 32 balls.The hosts then produced a disciplined bowling show and India were bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Debutant Matt Hollard was named Man of the Match after a stellar performance with figures of 3/28 from four overs, while debutant Jai Moondra also played a key role in restricting the visitors. For India, Harshit Rana took 3/24 while Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 50 off 20 balls was the only bright spot in the chase.Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker praised the victory after the game. “It’s a bit like a Test match. I think beating the world champions at home is very special. That’s down to the lads. All the work behind the scenes by Cricket Ireland,” he said.Meanwhile, India skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted his team’s poor performance but remained upbeat ahead of the second T20I. “In the beginning, the bowlers delivered venom. But in between, we lost our execution and let them bowl us straight down, where the boundaries were smaller. Considering our start, I thought 140 would be a good score to chase. But, yes, a good start as captain. Of course, we will forget what happened and there is a lot to learn from this game. We will give it our all in the next game,” Iyer said.
