2 min readJun 28, 2026 10:26 PM IST
Two days after a chastening 34-run defeat to Ireland in the first T20I, the Indian team lost once again at Belfast, this time by just one run. In a rain interrupted game at Belfast, Ireland managed to score 154/8 while batting first, thanks to Harry Tector, who scored 53 while Ben Calitz chipped in with 37. In fact the partnership between Tector and Calitz was worth 65 off 44. Ireland were initially in trouble at 21 for 2 in the third over of their innings but managed to make it to 113 for 4 in the 15th over.
For the second game in a row, the Indian team opted to keep 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench. There will be questions asked about that decision because once again India’s opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma could no fire. Samson was dismissed for a first ball duck once again by Moondra, while Sharma too was sent back for a duck by the same bowler. Moondra then picked off India skipper Shreyas Iyer.
At the end, there was plenty of drama. India needed 34 runs from the final two overs with two wickets in hand, when Harshit Rana hit a six and a four off consecutive balls to reduce the target to 14 runs off the final six balls. Rana hit one more boundary in the final over to reduce the target to eight runs off the final two balls. While he departed off the penultimate ball, Prince Yadav slogged the final ball for a six, which was not enough as India lost by a solitary run.
