Ireland beat India by 34 runs in 1st T20I in Belfast
Irish players and fans celebrated with immense passion and excitement after the win
This was Ireland's first win over India in international cricket across formats
IND Vs IRE, 1st T20I: Ireland's Maiden Win Over India Draws Heartfelt Reactions - Watch
As Ireland defeated India for the first time in international cricket, scenes of joy swept across the Irish camp and the fans, who celebrated the historic victory with immense passion and excitement
Summary
In a David vs Goliath battle, Ireland routed the reigning T20 World Champions, India, by 34 runs in the first T20 International at the Stormont Cricket Ground on Friday, June 26.
The Irish team were grappling with injuries to some of their key players, such as Paul Stirling, Mark Adair, Josh Little, and Curtis Campher, but still, they managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and stunned the Indian team to register their first-ever win against them in international cricket.
Although it was only a bilateral series, the victory meant a great deal to the Irish side, who are still establishing themselves in international cricket. Beating the No. 1-ranked T20I team in the world and producing such a memorable result in front of a home crowd made the occasion even more special.
The moment Tim Tector completed the catch off Matthew Humphreys' bowling to dismiss the final Indian batter, the entire stadium erupted in celebration. Irish players embraced one another in scenes of pure joy after scripting a famous victory.
The celebrations were not limited to the field alone. Fans danced in the stands and soaked in the historic moment, while players shared emotional scenes with family members in attendance, signed autographs, and posed for selfies with supporters.
Even Ireland women's cricket team, who are currently in Bristol for their next fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Bristol, watched the match on television and shared their reaction of the moment when the men's clinched their maiden win over India.
Sooryavanshi Denied India Debut
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impressed with his performances in age-group and First-Class cricket before setting the stage on fire in IPL 2026 to force his way into the Indian T20I setup.
His blistering 94-run knock off just 29 balls against Sri Lanka A in the tri-series final further fuelled excitement around his potential international debut against Ireland. However, the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side decided against handing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his maiden cap in the opening match of the series.
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Instead, India stuck with their settled opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, with Ishan Kishan at No. 3 — the core that played a major role in India's T20 World Cup triumph a little over three months ago.
The decision turned out to be somewhat right as Abhishek Sharma light up Belfast with a 20-ball fifty, while Sanju Samson fell early for just five runs.
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