Ireland notch historic win against India in first T20I
Captain Lorcan Tucker set the foundation for a 34-run win against India in the opening T20I game in Belfast
Ireland held their nerve to notch a historic first win over India in the opening match of the T20I series in Belfast on Friday.
The 34-run win marks Ireland's first-ever triumph against the T20 world champions across all formats of the game.
Captain Lorcan Tucker's half-century paved the way for the Irish, as they piled up an impressive 182/9 in their 20 overs. India's famed batting line-up crumbled under pressure and the visitors were dismissed for 148 in 18.5 overs.
Having been called up to the India squad for the first time, tee prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wasn't part of the playing XI as India persisted with their opening pair from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup win earlier this year.
Put into bat, Ireland recovered from 3/30, courtesy of Tucker's half-century and a 32-ball 49 from Garenth Delany. The Irish batters shifted gears in the 16th over, amassing 46 runs in two overs.
Harshit Rana, who dismissed both the Irish openers, finished with an impressive 3/24 while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel chipped in with two wickets each.
Abhishek Sharma held the Indian challenge together with 49 runs off just 20 balls, but the star-studded batting line-up came up short against some inspiring bowling from Ireland.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys and Matt Hollard claimed three-wicket hauls, while it was a memorable outing for debutant Jai Moondra, who finished with 2/25 in four overs.
The two teams will lock horns again in the second and final T20I on Sunday.