Belfast: Jai Moondra, a software engineer from Rajasthan’s Tonk, rocked a star-studded batting line-up filled with IPL stars as Ireland did the unthinkable, shocking reigning T20 World Champions India by one-run to complete a historic 2-0 series win in Belfast Sunday.
It is easily the greatest moment in Irish cricket since Kevin O’Brien’s epochal century when they beat England in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
But humbling of the mighty India will certainly be at a different level for them.
In a slightly nippy, blustery conditions, Moondra (3/32 in 4 overs), who still holds an Indian passport, removed Sanju Samson (0), Abhishek Sharma (0) for first-ball ducks with icing on the cake being skipper Shreyas Iyer’s wicket.
India managed only 153 for 9, chasing 155 at the Stormont ground on an eventful Sunday, after the hosts made 154 for eight.
Towards the end, Harshit Rana (21 off 10 balls) tried his best before being dismissed off the penultimate delivery of the match.
The series defeat also put a stop to India’s 16 T20I series winning streak that started mid 2023.
Under mercurial head coach Gautam Gambhir, Indian men’s cricket team has achieved some embarrassing firsts.
After a home 0-3 whitewash in Tests against New Zealand in 2024 and a first ODI series defeat against New Zealand in early 2026, getting completely annihilated by a minnow is one of the lowest ebbs that one could have hit.
Once it became 19 for 3, it was always a catch-up game for India.
While vice-captain Tilak Varma (55 off 46 balls) respected the conditions where the ball was swinging and seaming. There was a bit of spongy bounce and the odd ball stopped.
The IPL prima donnas decided to throw caution to the winds and never for once realised that they are not playing on the highways masquerading as cricket pitches which are on offer during the Indian Premier League with support of an Impact Player.
With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breathing down his neck, Samson recorded his second successive first-ball duck against Moondra, who got one to shape in.
Three balls later, Abhishek, got a delivery bowled on hard length outside the off-stump and the southpaw’s wild swig resulted in Matt Hollard running back from his short third-man position to grab the catch.
Shreyas Iyer looked loose on both days, something not expected from a new captain.
Moondra slipped a stock left-armer’s delivery that was pushed in with the angle and he got an inside edge onto the stumps playing away from his body.
Ishan Kishan (12) was back due to a brilliant direct throw by Ross Adair that found him way short of the crease.
At 35 for 4, it seemed all over for India when former vice-captain Axar Patel and current deputy Tilak Verma joined forces on a pitch that had a bit of carry and off the surface movement.
Earlier, debutant Prince gave an impressive account of himself with three scalps while Shivam Dube bowled a double wicket over as India restricted Ireland to what seemed like a below par 154 for 8.
Harry Tector (53 off 47 balls) and the dangerous Ben Calitz (37 off 23 balls) added 65 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Dube (2/25 in 3 overs) got wickets off successive deliveries that played its part in stopping the hosts well short of a par-score of 180.
He was ably supported by Arshdeep Singh who also got two wickets.
Dube first had Calitz caught in the deep and then bowled a perfect off-cutter that breached Gareth Delany’s defence to hit the top of off-stump.
While Tector was the top-scorer with his ninth T20I fifty in his 100th game, he could never really put his foot on the accelerator.
Axar (0/28 in 4 overs) and Yadav kept things tight with hard lengths, short balls and nice change ups.
The script during the Irish innings has a touch of familiarity to the opening game where India had got three wickets within 50 runs before hosts used the long handle effectively during the middle overs.
Coming in at the fall of Adair with Ireland in a bit of trouble at 48 for 3, Calitz intelligently picked up the hittable bowlers.
Debutant Suryansh Shedge’s friendly medium pacers were smashed over shorter square boundaries for 22 runs in a single over.
At the onset, Rana (1/17 in 3 overs) got Harry’s brother Tim caught at mid-wicket making a mess off a pull-shot.
Adair tried to make room against Arshdeep Singh (2/35 in 4 overs), who got one to chase the batter off good length. The result was an aerial catch for Tilak at extra cover.
Yadav (3/22 in 4 overs), who made his ODI debut against Afghanistan, bowled a sharp short ball to last match’s hero Lorcan Tucker (15 off 18 balls) to get him caught by Kishan behind stumps.
PTI
