India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted his side paid the price for taking crucial moments lightly after Ireland scripted a historic 34-run victory in the opening T20I in Belfast, handing the hosts their first-ever win over India in eight attempts.
Leading India for the first time in T20Is, Iyer said the defeat served as an important reminder that no opponent can be underestimated.
“You can’t take anything for granted,” Iyer said after the match. “You can’t just turn up and win matches. You have to work hard and see to it that you’re in that moment. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ve got to stay in the present and see to it that if you’ve got that opportunity to squeeze the opponent, we’ve got to do that. And yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly.”
India had reduced Ireland to 51/4 after an excellent opening spell from their seamers, but the hosts recovered through a 64-run partnership between captain Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany. Three dropped catches, including reprieves for both Tucker and Delany, proved costly as Ireland recovered to post 182/9.
Reflecting on the turning point, Iyer felt India lost control in the middle overs after making the ideal start.
“I think initially, the bowlers were bowling well. They got lateral movement, and they got a couple of wickets as well. So we got a tremendous start, but in between, we lost execution. We made them hit straight down the ground, where we know that the dimensions are pretty small. But then, yeah, the bowlers, when we had to shut down the overs, they were brilliant as well. So I thought 140 would have been an amazing score considering the start that we got,” Iyer said.
Irish skipper Lorcan Tucker praised India’s new-ball bowlers, saying they made batting extremely difficult during the Powerplay before his side managed to shift gears.
“I think India bowled really well at the start. I think they bowled really good lengths. They didn’t really waver from them. They stuck at them, found it challenging to hit good shots. It nearly felt like a Test match at one stage. But I think we tried to stay in the game, build a partnership, and then took our opportunities when they came a bit later,” Tucker said.
Tucker, who led a largely inexperienced side into the game after several of the senior members of the team were injured, said it was a “pretty special thing” to beat India for the first time in internationals.
“It’s pretty special thing to beat the world champions at home,” Tucker said after the game.
“[It is the] first game of the season, T20 cricket, but credit is due to the lads. I think we had two debutantes there who put in absolutely outstanding performances. To all the work that goes on behind the scenes, Cricket Ireland, everyone’s very dedicated, and I think that’s why we like to try and bring these results and support everyone,” added Tucker.
India’s chase never fully recovered despite a blistering half-century from Abhishek Sharma, as Ireland’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals to seal a famous victory.
Iyer acknowledged that India looked a little rusty but insisted the team would quickly move on and focus on levelling the series.
“Yes, definitely. We’re going to forget what’s happened. Definitely a lot to learn from this game and see to it that we come out in the next game all guns blazing,” Iyer said.
Despite the disappointing result, Iyer said the team would take valuable lessons from playing in unfamiliar conditions ahead of the second T20I. “It’s a great experience over here. We got to play in these conditions, got a fair idea about the wicket, and yeah, great start as a captain,” he said.
The two sides will once again face off in the second and final T20I on Sunday with the onus on India to level the series before heading to England for a tougher assignment ahead.