IND vs IRE 2nd T20I: Ireland humble T20 World Cup champs, whitewash India 2-0

• Ball 1: Wide ball and even as Arshdeep Singh tries to sneak in a single against Harry Tector, he fails. 
• Ball 1: Arshdeep gets a single to put Harshit Rana back on strike. 
• Ball 2: No-ball. A beamer by Harry Tector as the ball slipped from his hands. Harshit sneaks in two singles. And it's a free hit. India need 15 off 5.
• Ball 2: Harshit Rana gets an inside edge on the free hit as he wildly swings, but the ball goes for a 4 anyway. India need 11 off 4.
• Ball 3: Rana goes off the strike as he tries to smack a full delivery outside off. India need 10 off 3.
• Ball 4: Another wide ball, and Arshdeep is still on strike. India need 9 off 3.
• Ball 4: Arshdeep Singh gets a single and Harshit Rana is back on strike with India still needing 8 off 2.
• Ball 5: Wicket! That's the game for Ireland, as Harshit Rana departs, trying to take on Harry Tector. 
• Ball 6: Prince Yadav hits the last ball for a six, but Ireland win by 1 run.

• 56 KL Rahul vs SA Trivandrum 2022
• 54 G Gambhir vs Aus Melbourne 2012
• 49 SK Yadav vs USA New York 2024
• 48 V Kohli vs SA Bridgetown 2024
• 45 V Kohli vs Pak Dubai 2021
• 45 T Varma vs Ire Belfast 2026 

• 7 Saim Ayub (2025)
• 6 Richard Ngarava (2024)
• 6 Abhishek Sharma (2026) 

Apart from Prince Yadav, Suryansh Shedge is making his T20I debut as well. He was brought as a replacement for injured Nitish Kumar Reddy as a like-for-like option as a pace-bowling all-rounder. 

Although Shedge did superbly with the bat in the recent 'A' series, he has bowled two overs so far. He doesn't have pace, clocking in around 120s kmph but has consistently operated at stump to stump line. He leaked just three runs in the first over. But Irish batters targetted him, grabbing 22 runs in his second. A tough over, which could also be his last of the day. 

What a feeling! Prince Yadav, who made his ODI debut earlier this month, has opened his account in T20 internationals well.

Prince Yadav strikes for his maiden T20I wicket!

Prince hit a hard length outside off and cramped Lorcan Tucker for room. With no width to free his arms, Tucker tried to manufacture a boundary through the leg-side with a swat. The extra bounce did him in as he only managed a thick outside edge that flew to the keeper’s right. Ishan Kishan did the rest. Tucker departs for 15 off 18 with 2 fours. Benjamin Calitz is the new batter in. 

India finally take a catch! Arshdeep Singh delivers 🫴

Arshdeep Singh is either going for runs or is generating chances. On the first ball of his second over, he got Adair to sky one up in the air, but Harshit Rana spilled the chance. He made a meal of it but Arshdeep got his wicket on the very next ball itself. 

Adair lofted on the next ball too but didn't connect as Tilak Varma took a comfortable catch. Arshdeep takes 1/22 in his two overs. 

Striking from both ends 💥

Early breakthroughs from Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh put #TeamIndia right on top 💙

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/L8GAMNqUC4#IREvIND | @arshdeepsinghh pic.twitter.com/RzqFbZOD4r

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 28, 2026

Harshit Rana at it again 🚨

First breakthrough for India as Harshit Rana banged it in short outside off and got extra bounce. Tector went for the pull but only skewered it off the thick inside half. The ball went straight to mid-wicket, where Abhishek Sharma held a simple catch. Tector fell for 5 off 6. Harry Tector comes to crease and he becomes the third youngest player (26y 204d) to play 100 T20Is after Shadab Khan and Shahid Afridi. 

Arshdeep Singh has the new ball in hand as Irish openers Ross Adair and Tim Tector come out to bat. Arshdeep finds swing on the very first ball, pitching it up. The pitch looks quite clean with no greenness to it. The pacer beat Adair a couple of times before the righty hit two lusty blows right down the ground. 

Ireland are off and running with 13 runs off the opening over. Harshit Rana would look to continue his great form from the other end. 

Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube presented debut caps to Suryansh Sedge and Prince Yadav, respectively. 

Welcoming #TeamIndia T20I Caps No. 1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ and 1️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ 🧢👏

Things we love to see, as Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav are set to make their debuts 🌟

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/L8GAMNqUC4#IREvIND pic.twitter.com/XNhYh1bHB8

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 28, 2026

Right before the match, Tilak Varma has shared his thought process after becoming India's new vice-captain. 

[On being appointed vice-captain and the added responsibility] It feels really good. At the same time, it’s a responsibility. As I’ve already captained in the age-group categories and recently led an India A side, whatever inputs I have, I’m sharing them on the field. Even in the last match, I shared whatever little I could as vice-captain. But unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way."

"Hopefully, we’ve got another match now, and we’re looking to win it and level the series. [On the discussions within the team after the disappointing performance in the previous match] We haven’t spoken too much about it because it’s just one match. At the same time, we’ve gone back to our basics. We’re following our basics and continuing to play the fearless T20 cricket that we’ve been playing for so many years. One match doesn’t define this team. So whatever confidence you have - whether it’s about hitting the very first ball or going for a wicket with your very first ball - you can back yourself and play fearless cricket. 

The India vs Ireland 2nd T20I is live in India on Sony Sports Network across Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Ten 3 (Hindi) and Ten 4 (regional languages). Online streaming is on SonyLIV. UK and Ireland viewers can follow on TNT Sports and Discovery+. 

CRAZE FOR VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI.♥️

- A fans travel from Bihar to Belfast for Vaibhav Suryavanshi.🤯♥️ [@Vimalwa ] pic.twitter.com/czH46p6vu5

— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) June 28, 2026

Ireland's position is simpler. Lorcan Tucker will almost certainly keep the same XI. Matthew Humphreys is carrying a hand injury, but closed out his spell on Friday regardless. The two debutants, Matt Hollard and Jai Moondra, bowled well enough that there is no reason to change. 

Tucker will look for the toss, bat first again, and ask India to repeat what they could not do two days ago. The pitch will still be slow. The boundaries will still be big. India will still be without impact players. The conditions that undid them on Friday will be the same on Sunday.

India had Ireland at their gunpoint on Friday, with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh reducing the hosts to 36/3 in the powerplay. But Prasidh Krishna and sloppy catching meant India failed to pull the trigger. Prasidh Krishna was lacklustre once again with 0/57, Washington Sundar, who is going through an identity crisis in Team India went for 19 in the 16th over. 

Then, the famed batters failed one after the other, barring Abhishek Sharma, who scored a 20-ball 50. There is a massive temptation to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance in the India vs Ireland 2nd T20I. But whether Ganbhir would hit the panic button just yet is anyone’s guess. What India would need is a steady scoring from the middle-order and not slogging every ball by the top order. India would also need to decide on Prasidh Krishna whether to drop him for Ravi Bishnoi.

IND vs IRE 2nd T20I will be played at the same ground, but likely on a fresh pitch. The surface for the 1st T20I played slower than India's batters expected. The outfield is big, and there is no impact player substitute to inject momentum. The pitch rewarded bowlers who hit good lengths rather than batters who tried to muscle the ball over the fence.

Average first innings T20I score at Civil Service CC historically sits around 127, but the recent six-match sample is closer to 161. In this series, batting first has worked.

Chasing sides have won 16 of 26 completed T20Is at this ground overall. India will be hoping that number holds on Sunday.

India led the overall T20I record 8-0 going into Friday. They don't any more. Ireland's 34-run win is on the board and the series stands at 1-0.

The historical record barely matters now. The relevant data is that Ireland outplayed India across both innings in Belfast two days ago, on the same ground where Sunday's match is being played.

The most recent meetings in brief: Ireland beat India on Friday by 34 runs. Before that, India beat Ireland by 8 wickets in the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York. Before that, the closest Ireland came was a 2022 bilateral game in Dublin, where they chased 226 and fell four runs short. Friday was Ireland's most complete win over India in any format.