Ireland vs India Live Score, 1st T20I: IRE 30/3 (4 ovs), Arshdeep-Harshit take control

The early jitters are gone and Harshit Rana is now bowling an excellent spell. Tim Tector, who survived last over, departs. He grew impatient and tried to take on Rana on a full delivery. But he mistimed and gave away an easy catch to Shreyas Iyer. That's wicket no.3 in the powerplay as Tim Tector departs for 17.

Tim Tector just survived, but Harry Tector had to depart. Full, swinging away delivery by Arshdeep Singh, and as Harry tried to have a swing at it, he got an edge for an easy catch to Sanju Samson. Harry Tector falls for a three-ball duck.

The story of India's poor fielding and catching efforts continues even as the season resumes. Shivam Dube ran behind after Tim Tector skied a chance on Arshdeep Singh's delivery at the long on, but the ball hit Shivam Dube's hands and went for a four instead.

Fast-paced delivery and Ross Adair just wanted to slog, not knowing where the ball was. He got a top edge and Sanju Samson ran a few yards to take the catch. Adair departs for 12. Ireland 20/1.

Ross Adair is on the attack with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, conceding 19 runs in the first two overs.

Tim Tector and Ross Adair begin for Ireland. The overcast conditions are in India's favour, and Arshdeep Singh would be looking to make the most of it with his swing.

The India vs Ireland 1st 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+. First ball at 6:00 PM IST.

Ireland have been troubled by a lot of injuries. But Lorcan Tucker takes charge of Ireland T20I team as the captain, replacing Paul Stirling after a disappointing T20 WC campaign. 

Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge both miss out. Shreyas Iyer slots into Suryakumar Yadav's place. With no Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad, India go with Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna are three seamers. 

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

Shreyas Iyer wins the toss on his captaincy debut for India and opt to bowl first. There is no Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet.

This is not an easy forecast to read. There is light drizzle in Belfast this morning, and the rain probability for matchday sits at 35 per cent. Earlier previews put that number closer to 10 per cent, but the live reading is meaningfully worse.

Temperatures should reach around 23 degrees Celsius through the afternoon, with overcast skies and a light south-westerly breeze. If showers pass through quickly, the match should survive intact. If rain arrives mid-game, DLS comes into play. A shortened match generally favours Ireland, since it reduces the impact of India's batting depth and keeps the total more manageable.

Weather summary: Overcast, drizzle likely in patches | High: ~23°C | Rain chance: 35% | DLS a real possibility

Ireland's best tools are the conditions. Lorcan Tucker, Ireland's new T20I captain, who replaced Paul Stirling, said before the match that the Civil Service CC pitch should play considerably slower than the surfaces India's batters have been seeing in the IPL, and that the ground is bigger. Those two things together could produce a period of genuine adjustment in the early overs. Matthew Humphreys, the left-arm spinner, is their most dangerous bowler if the surface offers any turn.

Teenage debutant Reuben Wilson may also get a first cap. Ireland have never beaten India in a T20I, and nothing about this matchup changes the odds dramatically. But a surface that does not sit up, some overhead cloud, and sharp new-ball bowling in the powerplay gives them a chance.

The question India's management is actually answering in Belfast is not about Ireland. It is about what this side looks like ahead of five T20Is against England. These two matches are for giving new combinations a run, for getting Shreyas Iyer started as captain, and possibly for giving Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his debut.

Iyer last played a T20I in December 2023 and was not in the World Cup squad. Coming straight in as captain after a two-and-a-half-year gap from the format is an unusual move, and selectors acknowledged as much when announcing the squad. His case rests on IPL experience, a title with Kolkata Knight Riders, and the selectors' read on the two-year cycle leading to the 2028 World Cup.

The batting is where things get genuinely complicated. Sanju Samson won player of the tournament at the World Cup and is essentially undroppable. Ishan Kishan has been in excellent form across formats. Abhishek Sharma was the second-highest scorer in IPL 2026 after Sooryavanshi himself. All three are competing for essentially two spots if the teenager is included, and any of them sitting out would be hard to argue with in isolation. Whoever misses today likely returns for the England series, but the call still has to be made.

The bowling is less complicated. Arshdeep Singh leads the pace attack. Harshit Rana returns after missing the IPL and the World Cup and should get a game. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar cover the spin overs in the middle. Ravi Bishnoi is the leg-spin backup.

Civil Service CC at Stormont does not have the deep statistical record of Test venues, so projections here are genuinely uncertain. The overall first-innings average in T20Is at this ground is around 127, but that number has been moving. The last six T20Is here produced an average first-innings score of 161, with several teams crossing 170.

Tucker's pre-match comments on the surface are the most useful guide available. He described it as significantly slower than the pitches India's batters have been hitting in the IPL, and noted the bigger outfield. Seamers should get something with the new ball, especially under cloud. Once the ball gets older and batters settle in, the scoring does open up, but it takes longer to get there than at most Indian venues.

• Chasing sides have won 16 of 26 completed T20Is at this ground. The lean toward bowling first is real.
• Toss verdict: Bowl first. Use the new ball and cloud cover, then chase with better knowledge of the surface.

India have won all eight T20Is they have played against Ireland. The first meeting was at the 2009 T20 World Cup in Nottingham. The most recent was the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, an eight-wicket win. Ireland have pushed India close twice in Dublin, but they are still without a win in the format against the Men in Blue.

The 2022 Dublin game is worth remembering. India posted 225 for 7, and Ireland chased it down to 221 for 5. Four runs short, two balls remaining. Lorcan Tucker, now captain, scored a century in that chase.

Rohit Sharma leads India's run scorers in this fixture with 201 runs across four matches and three half-centuries. Jasprit Bumrah leads the wicket-takers with eight scalps from four appearances.

Stat	Figure
Total T20Is played	8
India won	8
Ireland won	0
No result	0

Previous series results

Year	Venue	Result
2018	Dublin	India won 2-0
2022	Dublin	India won 2-0
2023	Dublin	India won 2-0 (3rd T20I abandoned)
2024 T20 WC	New York	India won by 8 wickets