A lot of fans slept on this India vs Ireland series. Some fans questioned Ajit Agarkar for selecting a strong squad for this series. As many as nine T20 World Cup 2026 winners were part of this bilateral. Add Shreyas Iyer, the new Indian T20I captain and a 15-year-old anomaly, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi.
India were basically playing their A team, barring Jasprit Bumrah and a couple of injuries. On the other hand, Ireland were not even 14. They had so many injuries that the side had to include four players who were yet to make their T20I debuts. Now, after two games, Ireland have done the unthinkable. Their B-side has literally whitewashed India in what will go down as a historic series in Northern Ireland.
Gambhir-Iyer to worst possible start
India took a bold decision to sack Suryakumar Yadav from the team. He wasn’t just removed as captain but failed to make it to the team. The selectors and management weren’t happy due to his batting form. But SKY deserves one credit – India never endured a T20I series/tournament defeat under him. But now, India have endured one of the most massive losses in T20Is.
June 28, 2026 — circle that date. That’s when Ireland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in their history. They toppled the T20 World Cup holders and broke India’s 16-series win streak in the process. Across both games, Ireland looked the smarter team.
They used the home conditions to their advantage, posted totals, defended them with disciplined bowling, and backed it all up in the field. They were better than India in every department. And they did it shorthanded — no Mark Adair, no Curtis Campher, no Paul Stirling, no Joshua Little. Winning with four key players missing makes it even more special.
Where were Indian batters of T20 World Cup and IPL?
There’s a huge debate on social media about the Indian T20I team not being able to play through tough conditions. But to cut some slack, India has done well on some iffy tracks. Look at the Asia Cup 2025, where batters were never in the game. After that, there was an away T20I series against Australia, where he saw insane pace and bounce. Yet, India emerged victorious. But various factors should be looked at as well. That time, the focus was just the T20 World Cup 2026, and all matches were seen as dress rehearsals of that tournament.
Now, this Indian side looked undercooked. There were nothing that suggested that India adapted to the conditions. Shreyas Iyer’s side looked complacent in the first T20I, and simply didn’t turn up again on Sunday.
Catch here on what went wrong in 1st T20I vs Ireland.
While the bowling still had positives in the form of Harshit Rana and Shivam Dube, the Indian batting unit let the nation down big time. Sanju Samson proved to be a bunny for Jai Moondra, who basically set the tone for Ireland’s win. Abhishek Sharma was decent in the first game but went for a wild slog in the second. Ishan Kishan did the same in the first match, without taking bounce into account. Iyer, meanwhile, already seems to carry the pressure of being the Indian captain.
Tilak Varma did score a fifty on Sunday but it was one of the slowest ever for India. His spin-playing game is still a big question mark, and with him now taking the number five spot, is an issue. Unfortunately, Suryansh Shedge had a debut to forget, even though Prince Yadav was exceptional. Meanwhile, Axar Patel’s T20 batting average and SR this year read 14.86 and 119.89. His batting has certainly nosedived.
Unwanted streaks India attained under Gautam Gambhir
- After 27 years, India lost a bilateral ODI series vs Sri Lanka.
- For the first time, India lost 30 wickets in a 3-match ODI series.
- After 45 years, India remained winless in ODIs in a calendar year.
- After 36 years, India lost a home Test vs New Zealand.
- For the first time, India were bowled out for under 50 runs at home.
- For the first time, India lost a home Test series vs New Zealand.
- After 12 years, India lost a home Test series.
- After 12 years, India lost back-to-back home Tests.
- After 47 years, India lost three consecutive home Tests.
- For the first time, India were whitewashed 3-0 in a home Test series.
- After 10 years, India lost back-to-back Test series.
- After 10 years, India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
- Failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final for the first time.
- India became the first team to lose a Test after scoring five centuries in the match (Leeds).
- After 15 years, India lost a home Test against South Africa.
- After 8 years, India lost an international match at Eden Gardens.
- India failed to chase 124, their lowest unsuccessful chase at home.
- After 25 years, India lost a home Test series against South Africa.
- Registered their biggest Test defeat (by 408 runs).
- After 30 years, India completed a home Test series without a single century from their batters.
- For the first time, India were whitewashed in home Tests in back-to-back calendar years.
- For the first time, India lost a home ODI series to New Zealand.
- For the first time, India lost an international match against Ireland.
(Credit: @Shebas_10dulkar)
Under Gautam Gambhir, India have been criticised for being slightly complacent on many occasions. This wasn’t the only time when India didn’t look like warriors, striving to win every battle. Take the example of the first home Test against New Zealand, where India got bundled out for 46 runs. In that entire series, India continued to undermine New Zealand before the series was over 0-3.
India’s selections have been brutally questioned under the current head coach. Washington Sundar, who has become the new all-format player, was playing all the games despite not having a clear role in the side. India have persisted with extended batting despite missing out on genuine wicket-taking options in red-ball cricket. No doubt, Gambhir has already achieved so much in white-ball cricket, but there’s no denying that India always find an excuse to receive a shocking hammering after a few months or so.
Cricket
India see new low under Gautam Gambhir as captain Shreyas Iyer's maiden series ends in whitewash vs Ireland
