Left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma said India’s loss to Ireland resulted from the team’s inability to adapt quickly to the playing conditions.
The match, held in Belfast on Friday, was the opening fixture of the T20I series and ended in a historic 34-run victory for Ireland, marking their first win against India in all formats.
“It’s just how quickly we adapt the conditions, that’s really matters as a team, because when you are playing back to back games, as a group you have to step forward and get used to the conditions, whenever you get practice sessions or probably get used to, I feel as a dominating team, you have to adapt really quick and that’s what we were trying today, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” Sharma said after the match.
Captain Lorcan Tucker contributed a half-century, helping Ireland reach 182/9 in their 20 overs. India’s batting line-up collapsed under pressure, with the visitors being dismissed for 148 in 18.5 overs. Sharma was the standout batsman for India, scoring 49 runs from 20 balls.
Ireland’s bowling performance was led by left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys and Matt Hollard, who each took three wickets. Debutant Jai Moondra also had a notable game, finishing with 2/25 from four overs.
The two teams are scheduled to face each other again in the second and final T20I on Sunday.