Ireland vs India, 2nd T20I, India tour of Ireland, 2026 - CommentaryIRE vs IND, 2nd T20I, India tour of Ireland, 2026 - Commentary

Not the start Shreyas Iyer would have wanted to his stint as India's T20I captain. He'll be disappointed with how the series unfolded. India were thoroughly outplayed in the opener but responded well with the ball today. However, the batting let them down at the crucial moments, resulting in a series defeat to Ireland. There will be plenty of lessons to take from this tour as attention now shifts to a much sterner challenge in England, where India are set to play a 5-match T20I series. They'll be eager to bounce back and make amends when that series gets underway on Wednesday. That's all from the Ireland leg of the tour. Join us again for the action from England. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Lorcan Tucker collects the trophy and joins his team mates who are standing behind a CHAMPIONS board. The celebrations begin and will continue into the night.

Stat by Deepu Narayanan

The last time India lost consecutive T20Is before this series was back in August 2023 in the West Indies, incidentally their last series defeat.

One run win for Ireland in T20Is
vs Sco Dublin 2019
vs Net Vooburg 2024
vs Ind Belfast 2026 *

One run defeat for India in T20Is
vs NZ Chennai 2012
vs WI Lauderhill 2016
vs Ire Belfast 2026 *

India’s run of 16 consecutive T20I series unbeaten have come to an end. Among Full Member teams, the previous longest was 11 by Pakistan bw 2016 and 2018.

Hitting first ball in T20I career for a six (India)
Suryakumar Yadav off Jofra Archer Ahmedabad 2021
Ramandeep Singh off Andile Simelane Centurion 2024
Prince Yadav off Harry Tector Belfast 2026

Shreyas Iyer is the second Indian captain in T20Is to lose each of their first two matches in charge after Rishabh Pant.

Lorcan Tucker | Ireland captain: [On Ireland securing a historic series victory after backing up their win in the first match] I can’t quite believe it, but absolutely incredible. I think I challenged the lads the other day to show the world that that wasn’t a one-off, that we could do it again, and we were able to do it today. [On the team’s professionalism and commitment after the emotional high of Friday’s win] I think we were obviously on a massive high the other night, but I think I challenged the lads to try and, you know, fall down from those clouds, get back to the real world, and put in a performance, do their recovery yesterday. I think we rocked up with that same intent. I felt like we were professional, we were diligent in the work we did, and we showed that again today. [On the growing belief and attitude within this Ireland side] It felt like we were able to close the game out. I think we showed that good cricket can be simple cricket, and it doesn’t always have to be that complicated, and especially when you read the conditions well, that you can be effective and you can win games of cricket. [On the increased competition for places and the impact of the newer players] Yeah. Sometimes it feels like we play in the shadows of international cricket, but I think we will be front page news after this, and that will be so, it’s absolutely amazing. [On the performances of the less experienced players in the squad] We have a lot of lads there who have very few caps between them, but I think they just showed that they do the work in the background, they know their own games well. Even when they come to the big stage like this, they can show up and they can perform, and we can beat the world’s best. [On the outstanding support from the fans over the two-match series] Absolutely. I think I said it before the first game that we’re so lucky to have these games against India. I think they’re the most special, the crowd’s absolutely amazing, so very lucky to have it, and we’d love to have it again. [On whether this is the most exciting period in Irish cricket, with recent successes and opportunities across the game] Absolutely. Great time to be a professional cricketer in Ireland, and even for all those kids that came to watch today, watched on TV, we hope we’ve given them something to strive for.

Shreyas Iyer | India captain: [On reflecting after the series defeat following a difficult start to his captaincy] It’s still definitely not a great series, honestly speaking, but kudos to them, the way they played. Ireland team, I think they showed the professionalism and definitely had a tremendous idea about how the wicket was going to play and the field work there was phenomenal. So a comprehensive win to them and congratulations. [On whether his team showed the cricket smarts, learning and adaptability he had spoken about after the first game] Absolutely. I feel the bowlers, they were phenomenal in terms of their executions today. But we fell a bit short in our batting. We were, we fell a bit short in terms of analyzing how the wicket is going to play and also converting singles into twos. I think they definitely outplayed us in that department. [On the debutants] Definitely, as I mentioned earlier, that he’s (Prince) got great experience in the IPL and he carries that momentum over here as well. He has his own set of ideas and plans when it comes down to the ball. But the attitude and approach which he had and also Suryansh, I mean it was his first game, but yeah, he will definitely learn from this. [Thank you for coming to Ireland and] Thank you so much. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be here.

Jai Moondra | Player of the Match and Series: [On winning the Player of the Series award after just two international matches] Still trying to sink in the feeling. I know it’s hard to describe in one word. It’s an amazing feeling playing against the best, testing yourself. So just doing the basic for longer, that was the plan. Credit to team members and management. Keep it simple. There are gonna be tough times, but keep calm and composed and do your thing. [On the setbacks he overcame] Well, everyone have ups and downs, so you just have to hang in there and keep going through that. Nothing more. [On how Ireland have made him feel] Well, they made feel it was like one of them, like nothing different from that. It was playing amazing, good environment, good people. So just doing the duty they have given to me. [On his mindset when bowling to Sanju Samson] Just keep it simple, do what you have been doing. It’s gonna be tough, little margin for error. So just keep what you have been doing and just stick to the plan. [On whether he ever imagined winning the Player of the Series award against India] Oh, I’m still trying to process it.

India's chase unravelled right at the start as both openers, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, fell for golden ducks in the very first over. Jai Moondra landed the early blows and added another prized wicket by cleaning up Shreyas Iyer. Ishan Kishan's run-out, courtesy of a direct hit from Ross Adair, left India in deep trouble. Tilak Varma and Axar Patel then attempted to rebuild with useful partnerships of over 30 for the fifth and sixth wickets, with Tilak anchoring the chase. He looked set to take India home but fell soon after bringing up a fighting fifty. With 35 needed off the last two overs, Harshit Rana sparked late hope with a flurry of boundaries, reducing the equation to 8 off the final 2 balls. But he holed out to a full toss off the penultimate delivery, effectively sealing a famous victory for Ireland. The hosts were outstanding with the ball throughout. Jai Moondra set the tone with his opening burst and was superbly supported by Matthew Hollard and Liam McCarthy through the middle overs, while Matthew Humphreys and Harry Tector also played their parts. Tector, entrusted with defending 20 in the final over, rode his luck a little and closed out one of Ireland's most memorable wins.

17:53 Local Time, 16:53 GMT, 22:23 IST: What a win! The Ireland players make their way around the ground to thank the supporters before being embraced by the support staff. June 28, 2026 will go down as one of the greatest days in Irish cricket history. They've not only beaten the reigning T20 World Champions but also snapped India's 16-series winning streak in T20Is. Ireland were the better side across the two matches. They understood the conditions better, their batters put runs on the board and the bowlers backed it up with disciplined performances. Their fielding was outstanding as well, and they outplayed India in all three departments. What's even more remarkable is that they achieved this without several first-choice players, including Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Paul Stirling and Joshua Little. A truly memorable series victory for the hosts.

Harry Tector to Harshit Rana, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Arshdeep walks up and has a word with Rana. The straight boundary is pretty short.

Another conflab between Tucker and Tector. Rana and Arshdeep too have a chat. What's the plan? Go for the big shot or get Rana on strike?

Tucker has a word with Tector. The field can't change..