Last Updated on 1 minute ago by Charbel Coorey
Ireland produced an outstanding performance to seal a 34-run win over T20 World Cup champions India at Belfast. It was an upset of epic proportions as the hosts had key players missing, and the social media reactions were worthy of the occasion.
Batting first, Ireland found themselves in trouble having lost three wickets by the fourth over. They then fell to 51/4 in the eighth over before Ireland’s talented middle order came to the fore. Lorcan Tucker (50 off 36 balls) and Gareth Delaney (49 off 32 balls) provided vital resistance to give the hosts a shot at a defendable score. A late flurry of runs ensured the hosts reached a respectable 182/9.
That being said, India would have still backed themselves to chase such a total given their batting might. The strength of their lineup means there is no room for young gun Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet. Abhishek Sharma provided a blistering start, but only one other player in the top six managed to reach double figures in a disappointing batting display.
However, take nothing away from Ireland. Jai Moondra struck with his first ball in international cricket, wasting no time in dismissing 2026 T20 World Cup player of the tournament Sanju Samson. From there, the Irish continued to strike regularly, with man of the match Matt Hollard breaking the back of the Indian chase in the powerplay and middle overs.
IRE vs IND 1st T20 Reactions: Ireland beat India by 34 runs, sparking plenty of reaction.
This is a huge result for Irish cricket. Performances such as these against elite opposition puts their talented cricketers in the spotlight.
“It’s pretty special thing to beat the world champions at home,” Tucker said, as quoted by cricinfo. “[It is the] first game of the season, T20 cricket, but credit is due to the lads. I think we had two debutantes there who put in absolutely outstanding performances. To all the work that goes on behind the scenes, Cricket Ireland, everyone’s very dedicated, and I think that’s why we like to try and bring these results and support everyone.”
The 34-run win sparked big reactions online. “The story of Irish cricket continues beating the world champions and one of the world’s biggest sports teams period today. Well done to the team and all the people around Ireland who encourage and run clubs and give people the opportunity to play and develop its all built on that,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).
“Incredible win for Ireland, their first ever against India in any format. A depleted side today with some of their key players missing, this is a phenomenal performance,” wrote another.
Here are some of the reactions to Ireland’s maiden win over India in any format of men’s cricket, representing a disappointing start for Shreyas Iyer as T20I captain.
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