Ireland claimed a thrilling one-run victory in the second T20, once again leaving teenage prodigy Sooryavanshi on the sidelines.
Ireland has achieved a historic series triumph against T20 world champions India in Belfast, clinching a tense one-run win. Despite the high stakes, India once again opted not to grant a debut to the highly anticipated teenage sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Harry Tector celebrated his 100th T20 international appearance with a composed half-century, guiding Ireland from a sluggish start to a total of 154-8 at Stormont.
In response, India-born Jai Moondra made an immediate impact on his international debut. After striking with his very first ball on Friday, he dismissed Sanju Samson LBW on the opening delivery of the Indian chase. Moondra continued his dominant spell by removing Abhishek Sharma in the same over, followed shortly by the wicket of captain Shreyas Iyer.
Following a rain delay, India mounted a late comeback led by Tilak Varma’s 55 and a quickfire 21 from Harshit Rana. However, the effort fell just short as India finished their innings at 153-9.
The 15-year-old batting phenomenon Sooryavanshi earned a spot in the white-ball squads for the tours of Ireland and England following a breakout season in the Indian Premier League. Sooryavanshi finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, accumulating 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, including one century and five half-centuries.
Despite his inclusion, the rising star was omitted from the playing XI, mirroring the decision made during Friday’s first T20—a match Ireland won by 34 runs to secure their first-ever international men’s victory over India in any format.
Sooryavanshi will look to make his international debut during Wednesday’s opening T20 against England at Chester-le-Street.
