One of the most wonderful spectacles in the cricketing world was borne witness to in Belfast at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, during the final week of June 2026. But India, the reigning T20 World Champions, suffered a rare series defeat, 2-0 against Ireland, after going for nearly three full years unbeaten across 16 consecutive series. The India national cricket team vs Ireland cricket team match scorecard is that of a team that punched way above its weight, and an Indian side that never really got itself going in Ireland.
Let’s break down everything that happened across both matches.
1st T20 | 26 June 2026 | Stormont, Belfast | Match 1
India had won the toss and decided to bowl first. The call from Shreyas Iyer, leading India in T20Is for the first time, to bowl first was rather obvious as he noticed seam and swing on offer. The early prognosis was a successful one; Ireland lost three wickets in the power play, but from then on, the fightback from the Irishmen was magnificent. Ireland were wobbling at 36/3 after the end of six overs, but skipper Lorcan Tucker batted with poise and purpose to score a fifty, which steadied their innings.
Tucker added an important 64-run fifth-wicket partnership with Gareth Delany. Delany hit him for a quick-fire 49 off 32 balls before India reclaimed the initiative. Prasidh Krishna had a torrid day, conceding 57 runs in the spell and Washington Sundar, who gave away 19 in one over. Ireland eventually ended their innings with 182/9 in the allotted 20 overs, a good total on that track.
India’s chase started with a piece of history at the T20I debut. Jai Moondra, who is Indian, took Sanju Samson’s wicket on the first ball he bowled in T20Is chasing 183. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals for India, and although a lively 49 off 20 balls from Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay provided signs of promise, they never quite steadied the innings. Ireland’s two debutants – Moondra and Matt Hollard – then took over, as Abhishek fell for 49 at deep midwicket. India were all out for 148 in 18.5 overs, losing by 34 runs.
1st T20I Scorecard – June 26, 2026
Ireland Innings: 182/9 (20 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| TH Tector | c Samson b Rana | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| GR Adair | c Samson b Rana | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 171.43 |
| HT Tector | c & b Arshdeep | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| BF Calitz | c Iyer b Rana | 18 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| LJ Tucker (c) | b Dube | 50 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 138.89 |
| GJ Delany | c sub b Washington | 49 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 153.13 |
| GH Dockrell | b Arshdeep | 15 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 115.38 |
| L McCarthy | not out | 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 137.50 |
| MJ Humphreys | b Axar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| J Moondra | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | (b 2, lb 3, nb 1, w 7) | 13 | ||||
| Total | 182/9 (20 overs) |
FOW: 20-1 (Adair, 1.5), 25-2 (HT Tector, 2.6), 30-3 (TH Tector, 3.4), 51-4 (Calitz, 7.1), 115-5 (Tucker, 14.3), 164-6 (Dockrell, 17.1), 178-7 (Delany, 18.6), 178-8 (McCarthy, 19.1), 182-9 (Humphreys, 19.6)
India Bowling:
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 |
| Harshit Rana | 4 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 6.00 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Washington Sundar | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 10.50 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 4 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 14.25 |
India Innings: 148 all out (18.5 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| SV Samson | b Moondra | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Abhishek Sharma | c Adair b Hollard | 49 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 245.00 |
| Ishan Kishan (†) | c sub b Hollard | 22 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 157.14 |
| SS Iyer (c) | b Hollard | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| NT Tilak Varma | c Adair b Moondra | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 91.67 |
| Washington Sundar | c Dockrell b Hollard | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| S Dube | c & b Moondra | 25 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 178.57 |
| AR Patel | c TH Tector b Delany | 15 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 93.75 |
| Harshit Rana | b Humphreys | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Arshdeep Singh | c TH Tector b Humphreys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Prasidh Krishna | not out | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 3, nb 0, w 4) | 8 | ||||
| Total | 148 all out (18.5 overs) |
FOW: 16-1 (Samson, 1.1), 45-2 (Kishan, 3.2), 60-3 (Iyer, 5.1), 80-4 (Abhishek, 7.6), 90-5 (Tilak, 10.2), 100-6 (Washington, 11.6), 135-7 (Dube, 15.6), 137-8 (Axar, 16.5), 147-9 (Rana, 18.1), 148-10 (Arshdeep, 18.5)
Ireland Bowling:
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| J Moondra | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 6.50 |
| MK Hollard | 4 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 7.00 |
| L McCarthy | 4 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6.25 |
| MJ Humphreys | 3.5 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 9.88 |
| GJ Delany | 3 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 9.00 |
Result: Ireland won by 34 runs. Player of the Match: Matt Hollard (3/28)
Also Read: Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
2nd T20 | 28 June, 2026 | Stormont, Belfast | Match 2
India was down in the series 0-1 coming into the second game and needed to lift themselves. They’ve rung in just one more change, handing Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav their T20I debuts today, after winning the toss again and opting to field. It was now India’s opportunity to tie the series and save face. And then what ensued was one of the most thrilling finishes in T20 international cricket.
Ireland’s start to the innings was shaky with two wickets falling in the first three overs. Harry Tector came in early and played the anchor role perfectly, with his 53 off 47 balls, including five fours and a six; he kept Ireland alive. They were backed up by a blazing 37 off 23 balls from Ben Calitz. With Prince Yadav having Toby Tucker out first ball and Shivam Dube cleaning up, both Keith Calitz and Mark Adair had a mass of willow between balls; fortunes suggested that Ireland would be lucky to break 150. And then George Dockrell’s 19 off 14 and the composure of Harry Tector saw them to 154/8.
India’s bowlers were led by 3/22 from debutant Prince Yadav, a great start to his career.
However, the very first delivery of the chase turned out to be devastating. And Jai Moondra, who had already been the toast of Irish cricket following the first game, took with the opening delivery yet again, finding Sanju Samson lbw for a golden duck (Samson reviewed, it was upheld once again). Abhishek Sharma went for a golden duck too, three balls later, trapped at short third by Hollard reverse-cupped. This was the fourth instance in T20I cricket where openers scored golden ducks. In his third over, Moondra returned and bowled Shreyas Iyer through the gate, while a fine direct hit from Ross Adair saw Ishan Kishan run out. India were reeling at 35/4, having lost their composure entirely.
Half centuries again kept India in the game, a brilliant one from Tilak Varma with his 55 off 46 balls, but Varma’s fall in the 18th over rendered it near impossible for the lower order to chase down 37 runs with just 15 deliveries remaining. Harshit Rana, getting a cameo of 21 off 10, paved the way for a breathtaking finish. India needed 11 off the last over and then 2 runs of the final ball, but it didn’t happen. Ireland held on to win by a solitary run and so clinched a 2-0 series whitewash.
2nd T20I Scorecard – June 28, 2026
Ireland Innings: 154/8 (20 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| TH Tector | c Abhishek Sharma b Harshit Rana | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| GR Adair | c Tilak b Arshdeep | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 228.57 |
| HT Tector | c Kishan b Prince Yadav | 53 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 112.76 |
| LJ Tucker (c) | c Kishan b Prince Yadav | 15 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 83.33 |
| BF Calitz | c Tilak b Dube | 37 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 160.86 |
| GJ Delany | b Dube | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| GH Dockrell | c Axar b Arshdeep | 19 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 135.71 |
| L McCarthy | c Kishan b Prince Yadav | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| J Moondra | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| MK Hollard | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| MJ Humphreys | did not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | (lb 2, nb 1, w 3) | 6 | ||||
| Total | 154/8 (20 overs) |
FOW: 17-1 (TH Tector, 1.5), 21-2 (Adair, 2.2), 48-3 (Tucker, 7.3), 113-4 (Calitz, 14.4), 113-5 (Delany, 14.5), 144-6 (Dockrell, 18.3), 153-7 (HT Tector, 19.4), 154-8 (McCarthy, 19.6)
India Bowling:
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 8.75 |
| Harshit Rana | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 5.66 |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 5.50 |
| Shivam Dube | 3 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 8.33 |
| Suryansh Shedge | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 12.50 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 |
India Innings: 153/9 (20 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| SV Samson | lbw b Moondra | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Abhishek Sharma | c Hollard b Moondra | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| SS Iyer (c) | b Moondra | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 142.85 |
| Ishan Kishan (†) | run out (Adair) | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 109.09 |
| NT Tilak Varma | c McCarthy b Hollard | 55 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 119.56 |
| AR Patel | c Tucker b Hollard | 14 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 77.77 |
| S Dube | c Dockrell b Humphreys | 20 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Suryansh Shedge | c TH Tector b Hollard | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Harshit Rana | c TH Tector b HT Tector | 21 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 210.00 |
| Arshdeep Singh | not out | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Prince Yadav | not out | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 600.00 |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 4, nb 1, w 4) | 10 | ||||
| Total | 153/9 (20 overs) |
FOW: 0-1 (Samson, 0.1), 1-2 (Abhishek, 0.4), 19-3 (Iyer, 2.4), 35-4 (Kishan, 4.5), 74-5 (Axar, 11.3), 109-6 (Dube, 16.1), 117-7 (Tilak, 17.2), 121-8 (Shedge, 17.5), 147-9 (Rana, 19.5)
Ireland Bowling:
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
| J Moondra | 4 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 8.00 |
| MJ Humphreys | 4 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 7.00 |
| MK Hollard | 4 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 6.50 |
| L McCarthy | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 |
| HT Tector | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 10.00 |
Result: Ireland won by 1 run Player of the Match: Jai Moondra (3/32) Player of the Series: Jai Moondra (5 wickets across 2 matches)
Series Summary
| Match | Date | Ireland | India | Result |
| 1st T20I | June 26, 2026 | 182/9 (20 ov) | 148 all out (18.5 ov) | Ireland won by 34 runs |
| 2nd T20I | June 28, 2026 | 154/8 (20 ov) | 153/9 (20 ov) | Ireland won by 1 run |
Series Result: Ireland won 2-0
Key Performances Across the Series
Across both games, if you scan through India national cricket team vs Ireland cricket team match scorecard, there are a few names that are going to be roaming across from either side.
For Ireland: Jai Moondra was the architect of India’s batting collapses in both matches. He picked 5 wickets in the series and won both the Player of the Match award for the second game as well as the Player of the Series. He extracted movement with the new ball and attacked the stumps up front – leaving absolutely zero time for India’s top order to get settled. Harry Tector’s 53 in the second match was another gem, holding the innings together when lower players would have crumbled. An opening match 50 (half-century) from Lorcan Tucker set the tone for a series that was, in truth, never really competitive.
For India: Tilak Varma’s 55 in the 2nd T20I was the most audacious innings by an Indian throughout the tour. Coming in at 35/4, he put together a quickfire, 74-run partnership with Axar Patel that had made the chase seem possible for a while. Harshit Rana’s 21 not out of 10 was nearly an impossible heist. And even in the first match, there were genuinely promising performances despite a loss for India, with debutant Prince Yadav taking 3 wickets on debut.
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What This Series Means
It was not just the other bilateral series. Before heading to the 3-match T20I series in Australia, India had a clean slate of not losing a T20 International series for nearly three years – it was eventually ended with their defeat in this run, which included 16 consecutive series. They came to Belfast as the new T20 World Champions 2026. Ireland, for their part, were at home and had a new captain in Tucker, injury-ravaged absentees and the two debutants Moondra and Hollard.
But Ireland delivered far better than that merited, in a way none could have anticipated. It was apparent that the conditions at Stormont suited their bowling, and more so, for the Indian batters did read those conditions. The pitches were slow compared to what India are used to, and the short straight boundary in the 2nd T20I was a significant tactical variable, one Ireland capably took advantage of over their opponents.
The manner in which the top-order collapsed for India was edging towards disconcerting. Moondra dismissed the Team India wicketkeeper in both matches, on both occasions in the first over of Chasing. But the opening combination never kicked on, which put immense pressure on their middle order. Once again, Shreyas Iyer won two tosses and made all the right calls with his bowling, but couldn’t make an impact up top as a batsman. The India national cricket team vs Ireland cricket team match scorecard across both games reads poor top order will need serious attention before the England T20I series
FAQs – India National Cricket Team vs Ireland Cricket Team Match Scorecard
1. Who was the Player of the Series in India vs Ireland?
Jai Moondra was named Player of the Series for his five wickets in two matches.
2. Who made their T20I debut in the India vs Ireland 2026 series?
Ireland gave debuts to Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard, while India handed out caps to Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav.
3. Where were the matches played?
The two T20Is were played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast.
4. Who captained India and Ireland?
India was led by Shreyas Iyer, and Ireland’s captain for this match was Lorcan Tucker.
5. What was the series individual highest score?
The best score of the series was 55 off 46 balls by Tilak Varma in the 2nd T20I.
