Ireland continued their dream run against India, edging the visitors by one run in a thrilling second T20 International at Stormont on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and seal their first-ever series victory over India in any format.
The victory came two days after Ireland registered their maiden T20I win over India with a 34-run triumph in the series opener, underlining the hosts' remarkable turnaround against the reigning T20 world champions.
Asked to bat first in the rain-interrupted contest, Ireland recovered from early setbacks to post a competitive 154 for eight. Reduced to 21 for two inside the opening three overs, the hosts were rebuilt by Harry Tector and Ben Calitz, who shared a vital 65-run partnership for the third wicket. Tector anchored the innings with a fluent 53, while Calitz chipped in with 37 to steer Ireland past the 150-mark.
For India, debutant Prince Yadav impressed with figures of 3/22, while Arshdeep Singh (2/35) and Shivam Dube (2/25) picked up two wickets apiece to restrict the hosts from posting a bigger total.
India's chase began on a disastrous note as Sanju Samson was dismissed for a first-ball duck for the second successive match. Abhishek Sharma also departed without opening his account before Jai Moondra removed captain Shreyas Iyer cheaply, leaving India reeling.
The visitors once again opted to keep 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench despite the top-order's struggles. Instead, India handed T20I debuts to all-rounder Suryansh Shedge and pacer Prince Yadav.
Vice-captain Tilak Varma waged a lone battle with a composed 55 off 46 deliveries, but wickets continued to fall around him as Moondra and Matt Hollard claimed three wickets each to keep India under constant pressure.
The contest, however, took a dramatic turn in the closing stages. Needing 34 runs from the final two overs with only two wickets in hand, Harshit Rana produced a stunning late assault, smashing a six and two boundaries to keep India's hopes alive. India required eight runs from the final two deliveries before Rana was dismissed off the penultimate ball.
Prince Yadav struck the last ball for six, but it was not enough as India finished on 153 for nine, falling agonisingly short by a solitary run.
The defeat capped a disappointing outing for India's new-look T20 side under Shreyas Iyer, with repeated batting failures proving decisive as Ireland celebrated a landmark series triumph on home soil.
Brief Scores:
Ireland 154/8 in 20 overs (Harry Tector 53, Ben Calitz 37; Prince Yadav 3/22, Arshdeep Singh 2/35, Shivam Dube 2/25) beat India 153/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 55; Jai Moondra 3/32, Matt Hollard 3/26)
Also read: Ireland script history with maiden win over India in first T20I
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