Team India faced a brutal one-run loss to Ireland in the second T20I, of the two match series, at Belfast. While chasing 155 to grab the win in the series decider, the Men in Blue almost got over the line, but they missed it by a whisker, thanks to a brilliant late fightback from Harshit Rana, and also a calm middle-order showing from vice-captain Tilak Varma.
This result, felt like a rough little milestone for Indian cricket too, because captain Shreyas Iyer’s time in charge started on a disappointing note. India ended up on the wrong side of a shocking 0-2 series defeat against Ireland, just about two months after lifting the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad, led by Suryakumar Yadav as captain.
The Ireland tour also kind of marked Shreyas Iyer return as India’s T20I captain for the first time since December 2023. Unfortunately, his comeback as skipper started with a, forgettable series defeat.
That loss has become a major setback for both captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir. It ended India’s remarkable run of T20I dominance, and it also handed the team its first bilateral T20I series defeat since August 2023.
Since their series loss to the West Indies three years ago, India had managed to win 16 consecutive T20I series. Over that stretch, the side grabbed two T20 World Cup titles in 2024 and 2026, lifted the 2025 Asia Cup T20 trophy. They also secured the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, which was a big deal for everyone there.
Gautam Gambhir coached India for the latter part of this incredible run, after taking charge in mid-2024 following the Zimbabwe tour. Meanwhile the selectors named Shreyas Iyer as India’s new T20I captain last month replacing the struggling Suryakumar Yadav .
Interestingly, India’s record-breaking T20I series winning streak had kind of started with a win over Ireland in 2023. Three years later, the same opponents brought that remarkable run to a stop. Here’s a look at the results from India’s last 17 T20I series, kind of briefly.
Ireland made 154/8 after choosing to bat first. Harry Tector topped the run-up with a classy 53, and Ben Calitz chipped in some useful momentum with 37 off 23 balls.
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India’s chase kind of got the absolute worst start, as both openers walked back with out scoring. Captain Shreyas Iyer at No. 4 could only scrape 10 off seven deliveries. With India reeling at 121/8, it looked like they were already sort of out of it before Harshit Rana pulled off a stunning late counter attack. Still, in the end the visitors just missed it, falling short by a single run.
Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard finished with three wickets each, and Ireland wrapped up a memorable 2-0 series win, over the reigning T20 world champions who are coached by Gautam Gambhir.
India will now move on to the next five-match T20I clash against England. Guided by Shreyas Iyer, and with Gautam Gambhir in the coaching seat, they’ll kick off the series on July 1, and the tour runs till July 11.
