ireland Scripted one of the biggest upsets in cricket history by defeating the reigning T20 World Champions India Lost by 34 runs in the opening T20I in Belfast. The hosts overcame early trouble with the bat and produced a complete team performance, before their inexperienced pace attack dismantled India’s batting lineup. It was Ireland’s first victory over India in international cricket and instantly became one of the country’s most memorable cricket moments.
India entered the series with several new faces and a new-look leadership group, but the visiting team struggled to adapt to the favorable conditions. Whereas Abhishek Sharma Played an entertaining innings at the top, the rest of the batting order failed to build partnerships as Ireland maintained control during the chase. The historic result drew widespread reactions on social media, with fans praising Ireland’s fearless performance, while questioning India’s performance.
Lorcan Tucker and Ireland’s debutants thrash India in Belfast
Ireland then found themselves in early trouble at 36/3 Harshit Rana On his return to international cricket he performed impressively and finished with figures of 3/24. However, Captain lorcan tucker First took the innings forward by scoring a restrained 50 runs. gareth delaney Provided the momentum with a quickfire innings of 49, helping the hosts reach a competitive 182/9.
Despite Abhishek’s explosive innings of 49 runs in just 20 balls, India’s pursuit of the target never gained momentum. budding left arm fast bowler Jai Mundra shocked by getting out early sanju samsonWhile fellow newcomer Matt Hollard taken out Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer And washington beautiful Keeping Ireland firmly under control. India were eventually bowled out for 148 and Ireland secured a memorable 34-run victory.
This result was a significant moment for Irish cricket, as the hosts defeated India for the first time in any international format. It was also a convincing win against the reigning T20 world champions, achieved through disciplined batting, fearless fast bowling and excellent fielding. Tucker’s captaincy innings and the impact made by debutants Hollard and Mundhra soon became the biggest talking points of the competition.
This defeat also exposed many concerns for the new image Indian team. Apart from Abhishek, none of the batsmen managed to convert their starts while the bowling attack conceded crucial runs during the death overs after a strong start. Decision not to hand over teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi His international debut also became a major topic of discussion among the supporters.
As expected, there was a flood of reactions on social media immediately after the last wicket. Irish fans celebrated one of the biggest wins in the country’s cricket history, while Indian supporters praised Ireland’s fearless performance and questioned their own team’s batting performance. Many former cricketers and fans also praised Tucker’s leadership and the excellent contributions of the two budding fast bowlers.
Also read: Jos Buttler explains why Vaibhav Suryavanshi keeps surprising the cricket world
Here’s how fans reacted:
Irish team stuns world champions in Belfast#IREvIND #IrelandCricketTeam #t20i pic.twitter.com/JXaKFONftu
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 27 June 2026
Ireland shocked the world champions #India! How did that happen? Did India take the game too lightly? #Oracle pic.twitter.com/29F2tShnnQ
– Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 26 June 2026
Very good. I didn’t think I would see this scoreline of Team India vs Ireland.
Ireland played well.
– Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) 26 June 2026
Loved the spirit with which Ireland played. This win will mean a lot to them and I hope it will be a boost to Irish cricket. And this is a humbling result for India.
– Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 26 June 2026
Abhishek Sharma scored 50 runs in 20 balls. The rest of the Indian batting was a sham: the world champions were let down as they thought they would win against Ireland.
Classic case of you go, I come #IndvsIRE– Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) 26 June 2026
🚨Ireland has stunned world champions India by defeating them. 🚨
-Ireland’s first win against India. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fBEk9nCe4S
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) 26 June 2026
🚨 History of Belfast by Ireland 🥶
Ireland defeated India for the first time in international cricket…!!!!
Big upset, world champion lost. pic.twitter.com/7wbDNn2DVb
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 26 June 2026
Ireland women’s team reacts to win over India. ❤️pic.twitter.com/cwWitAqLvr
– Sarvesh (@IMSarvesh_99) 27 June 2026
History was written! 🇮🇪Ireland has officially won against India by 34 runs for the first time! The hoodoo has been torn down in spectacular fashion. What a memorable day for Irish cricket! 🏏🔥 #INDvsIRE pic.twitter.com/z9LWfPzJvN
– Manakdeep Singh Kharaud (@Iam_MKharaud) 26 June 2026
🚨History of Shreyas Iyer🚨
– Shreyas Iyer became the first Indian captain to lose an international match against Ireland, as Ireland registered a historic first-ever win over India.#IREvIND pic.twitter.com/OKXV7lV04C
-Rana Ahmed. (@ahmadrana056) 26 June 2026
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