Ireland Clean Sweep T20I World Champions India in Belfast

Ireland have delivered one of the greatest weekends in their cricket history.

Two days after beating India for the first time in any format, Lorcan Tucker’s side stunned the reigning T20 world champions again in Belfast, defending 154 to win the second T20I by one run and complete a historic 2-0 clean sweep.

India finished on 153/9 chasing 155, leaving Ireland’s players walking around Stormont to acknowledge a crowd that had just witnessed a landmark moment for the sport in the country.

This was a series Ireland entered as outsiders. They leave it with a first-ever series win over India in any format, a 2-0 sweep over the world champions, and a result that brought India’s 16-series undefeated T20I run to a grinding halt.

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Key Facts: Ireland vs India, 2nd T20I

Detail	Information
Match	Ireland vs India, 2nd T20I
Venue	Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
Date	June 28, 2026
Toss	India won and chose to field
Ireland score	154/8 in 20 overs
India score	153/9 in 20 overs
Result	Ireland won by 1 run
Series result	Ireland won 2-0
Historic record	Ireland’s first-ever series win over India in any format
Major India streak ended	16 consecutive undefeated T20I series or tournament run
First T20I result	Ireland won by 34 runs
Second T20I heroes	Harry Tector, Jai Moondra, Matt Hollard, Ben Calitz

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Ireland Turn One Shock Into a Series Statement

The first win was historic. The second made it unforgettable.

Ireland had already shaken cricket by beating India by 34 runs in the opening T20I at the same ground. That result gave Ireland their first win over India in any format after years of one-way history between the two sides.

The challenge after that was emotional and tactical.

Could Ireland back it up?

Could they handle India’s response?

Could a side missing five first-choice players and working with a weakened attack produce the same discipline again?

By the end of Sunday, the answer had landed loudly.

Ireland defended another total India would have backed themselves to chase. They held their nerve through a chaotic final over. They trusted their bowlers. They kept attacking India’s confidence. They closed out the series with a clean sweep that will sit among the proudest weekends Irish cricket has known.

Harry Tector Gives Ireland a Fighting Total

Ireland’s 154/8 was not a runaway score, but it gave their bowlers something to work with.

Harry Tector held the innings together with 53 off 47 balls, hitting five fours and one six. It was not a flashy T20 innings. It was more important than that. Ireland had lost early wickets, and Tector’s job was to keep the innings alive long enough for someone to change the tempo.

That support came from Ben Calitz, whose 37 off 23 balls gave Ireland the acceleration they badly needed. Calitz struck three fours and two sixes, lifting the total after Ireland had slipped into a dangerous middle phase.

Ross Adair’s 16 off seven balls gave the innings early punch, while George Dockrell’s 19 off 14 added useful late runs.

Ireland’s innings followed a pattern that defined the whole series. They never looked entirely safe, but they kept finding enough.

That mattered because India’s bowlers had created opportunities.

Prince Yadav, on T20I debut, was India’s standout performer with 3/22 in four overs. He removed Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector and Liam McCarthy, showing control and composure in his first international appearance.

Arshdeep Singh took 2/35, Shivam Dube claimed 2/25, and Harshit Rana kept things tight with 1/17 from three overs.

At the break, India needed 155. Against most sides, that would have looked manageable. Against Ireland in Belfast this weekend, it became a test of nerve.

India’s Chase Cracks in the First Five Overs

India lost the match long before the final ball.

The chase began with chaos. Sanju Samson fell lbw to Jai Moondra from the first ball of the innings. Abhishek Sharma followed for another duck before the first over was complete.

India were 0/1 after one ball, 1/2 after four balls, and 19/3 when captain Shreyas Iyer was bowled by Moondra for 10.

Then Ishan Kishan was run out for 12, leaving India 35/4 after 4.5 overs.

That was the moment Ireland’s belief turned into control.

Moondra had already damaged India in the first T20I. This time, he tore through the top order again. His 3/32 gave Ireland the dream start they needed and placed India’s chase under stress from the opening over.

India still had batting depth, but the early collapse changed the tempo of everything that followed. Every single became heavier. Every dot ball became louder. Every boundary carried the feeling of recovery rather than control.

Tilak Varma Fights, But Ireland Keep Finding Wickets

Tilak Varma gave India hope.

His 55 off 46 balls was the only true anchor in the chase. He absorbed pressure, rebuilt the innings with Axar Patel, and reached his half-century from 45 balls.

But Ireland kept breaking partnerships before India could breathe.

Axar Patel made 14 off 18 before Matt Hollard removed him. Shivam Dube threatened with 20 off 16, but Matthew Humphreys dismissed him at 109/6. Then came the wicket that tilted the match fully toward Ireland.

Tilak, set and dangerous, fell to Hollard for 55 in the 18th over.

India were 117/7.

Suryansh Shedge followed shortly after, also falling to Hollard, and India were 121/8 with their recognized batting almost gone.

Hollard finished with 3/26 from four overs. That mattered because this was not a one-off impact. He had already been central to Ireland’s first win in the series. In the space of one weekend, he became one of the defining figures of Ireland’s greatest T20I series result.

Final Over Chaos, One-Run Glory

India entered the final over needing 20 runs.

At 135/8 after 19 overs, Ireland were heavy favorites. But India still had Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh at the crease, and the final over turned into one last test of composure.

India found boundaries. Ireland conceded extras. The pressure climbed again. Harshit Rana’s late hitting dragged India back into a contest that had looked nearly done.

Then he fell for 21 off 10 balls.

Prince Yadav’s late six brought India painfully close, but Ireland held on by one run. India closed on 153/9.

The margin made the result even more dramatic. Ireland won the first game by 34 runs with authority. They won the second by one run with nerve.

Great weekends need both.

India’s 16-Series Run Ends in Belfast

This result carries major weight because of who Ireland beat and what they stopped.

India arrived in Ireland as reigning T20 world champions. They also carried a 16-series undefeated T20I run, a mark of consistency that had turned them into the benchmark side in the format.

Ireland ended that run in two matches.

The first win proved they could hurt India. The second proved they could handle India’s response.

That is why this clean sweep should be treated as a defining Irish cricket result, not a passing upset. India were expected to level the series after the first defeat. Instead, they lost the toss advantage, the chase, the series, and a major streak.

For India, the questions will be sharp.

Why did the top order collapse twice in Belfast? Why did the chase feel rushed after early wickets? Why did a lineup with enough experience fail to manage two chaseable totals? And why did Ireland look calmer in the pressure moments?

Shreyas Iyer’s side will now carry those questions into a demanding England series.

Lorcan Tucker’s Ireland Deserve Their Bow

This series belongs to Lorcan Tucker and his team.

Ireland were without several regulars. Their attack was weakened. Their squad carried fresh faces. Tucker had only recently taken over the T20I captaincy. Against India, that could have become a reason for survival mode.

Instead, Ireland played with clarity.

They used the conditions. They bowled into the pitch. They forced Indian batters to hit into bigger boundaries. They defended totals that demanded collective discipline rather than one superstar performance.

Across the two games, the pattern was striking.

In the first T20I, Ireland posted 182/9 and bowled India out for 148.

In the second, they posted 154/8 and restricted India to 153/9.

Two games. Two defended totals. Two Indian chases broken by Irish pressure.

The players’ lap around the ground after the match captured the scale of it. This was a thank-you to the crowd, but also a moment of recognition. Irish cricket had just given its supporters a weekend they will talk about for years.

What This Means for Ireland

Ireland now have proof they can beat elite opposition across a series, not only in isolated moments.

That matters for rankings, belief, selection pressure, sponsorship, public attention, and the next generation watching from the stands.

Harry Tector’s batting showed maturity. Tucker’s leadership passed a major early test. Moondra and Hollard gave Ireland new bowling identities. Calitz added punch. Dockrell offered experience. Humphreys and McCarthy gave the attack balance.

This was a team result in the truest sense.

Ireland did not win because India gifted them one bad hour. They won because they kept forcing India into bad decisions over two matches.

Final Verdict

Ireland’s 2-0 clean sweep over India in Belfast is one of the most important results in their cricket history.

They beat the reigning T20 world champions twice. They defended two totals India would have expected to chase. They ended a 16-series undefeated T20I run. They did it while short of key players and with a reshaped attack.

This was Ireland’s weekend.

Lorcan Tucker and his players deserve every step of that lap of honor.

FAQs

What was the result of Ireland vs India 2nd T20I?
Ireland beat India by one run in Belfast. Ireland scored 154/8, and India finished on 153/9.

Did Ireland win the series against India?
Yes. Ireland won the two-match T20I series 2-0.

Is this Ireland’s first series win over India?
Yes. This is Ireland’s first-ever series victory over India in any format.

Who starred for Ireland in the second T20I?
Harry Tector scored 53, Ben Calitz made 37, while Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard took three wickets each.

Who top-scored for India in the chase?
Tilak Varma top-scored for India with 55 off 46 balls.

What major India streak did Ireland end?
Ireland ended India’s 16-series undefeated run in T20I cricket.

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