Abhishek Sharma admitted that Ireland deserved their victory after India’s disappointing performance in the opening T20I in Belfast. The left-hander said India failed to execute their plans and accepted that the visitors were outplayed in all three departments despite entering the match as clear favorites.
Ireland stunned the T20 world champions with a 34-run victory at the Civil Service Cricket Club on Friday, registering their first-ever win over India in any format. Abhishek fought a lone battle with 50 off 20 balls, but India’s star-studded batting lineup failed to chase the target as Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy began with defeat.
Ireland Fully Deserved the Win After Outperforming Us – Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma received little support from the rest of India’s batting lineup. Speaking after the match, the opener admitted that Ireland outplayed India in every department and said the visitors failed to execute their plans on the field.
“Ireland fully deserved the win after outperforming us in all three departments. We couldn’t execute our plans, but we’ll learn from this defeat and come back stronger in the next match,” Abhishek told reporters after the game.
🔴 WE FAILED AS A TEAM – ABHISHEK SHARMA BRUTAL STATEMENT 🤯
🎙️: Ireland fully deserved the win after outperforming India in all three departments. He admitted India failed to execute key plans but stressed that the team will learn from the defeat and aim to bounce back stronger… pic.twitter.com/8lAzKL5JSb
— Sam (@cricsam02) June 27, 2026
Before Friday’s defeat, India had won all eight of their previous T20Is against Ireland. The visitors will now look to level the two-match series when the second and final T20I is played at the same venue in Belfast on Sunday.
India Bowled Out for 148 Runs in First T20I
Shreyas Iyer elected to bowl first in the series opener. Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with 50 runs off 36 balls. Gareth Delany added 49 off 32 balls as Ireland posted a challenging total of 182/9 in their 20 overs.
Harshit Rana was India’s standout bowler on his return, finishing with impressive figures of 3/24 from four overs. However, the rest of the attack struggled to contain Ireland’s batters, who kept the scoreboard moving with regular boundaries throughout the innings.
India’s chase never gathered momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Abhishek Sharma kept the visitors in the contest, but his dismissal triggered another collapse and exposed the middle order.
Shivam Dube struck a quick 25 off 14 balls to revive India’s hopes briefly, but Ireland’s bowlers stayed in control. Debutant Matthew Hollard and left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys claimed three wickets each as India were bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Hollard was named Player of the Match on his debut.
Abhishek Sharma Breaks Records Despite India’s Defeat
Although India suffered a disappointing defeat, Abhishek Sharma continued his outstanding run in T20I cricket. The left-handed opener scored his 11th T20I half-century and became the fastest Indian batter to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced.
Abhishek reached the milestone in just 528 deliveries, breaking Suryakumar Yadav’s previous Indian record of 573 balls. Suryakumar has scored 3,273 runs in 113 T20Is for India, including four centuries and 25 fifties.
The 25-year-old has scored 1,488 runs in 47 T20Is at an average of 33.81. He has hit two centuries and 11 half-centuries in the format and is just two sixes away from completing 100 sixes in T20I cricket.
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Author: Sai Vaitla
