World champions' curse strikes again as India suffer historic Ireland shock

NEW DELHI: India's reign as T20 World Cup champions began in the worst possible fashion on Friday as Ireland scripted a stunning 34-run victory in Belfast, extending one of international cricket's most bizarre trends.The defeat meant India became the latest men's T20 World Cup winners to lose the very first T20 international they played after lifting the trophy.The strange sequence began with England, who won the 2022 T20 World Cup but suffered defeat against Bangladesh in their first T20I after becoming world champions. India followed the same unwanted path after winning the 2024 title, losing to Zimbabwe in Harare in their first outing as world champions.Now, after defending their crown in 2026, India have once again stumbled at the first hurdle, this time against an inspired Ireland side that celebrated its maiden victory over India in any format.The result also marked a disappointing start to Shreyas Iyer's reign as India's new T20I captain.Ireland create history with all-round displayIf there was any pressure on Ireland against the back-to-back world champions, it never showed.Captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with a composed 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delany narrowly missed a half-century with a sparkling 49 from 32 deliveries as Ireland recovered brilliantly from 51 for 4 to post a competitive 182 for 9 after being asked to bat.Earlier, India's pacers had dominated the opening exchanges. Harshit Rana starred with 3 for 24, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each.However, Tucker and Delany rebuilt the innings before late contributions ensured Ireland finished with a total that proved well above par.Debutants shine as India crumbleIreland's bowlers then produced one of the finest performances in the team's T20I history.Debutants Jai Moondra (2/26) and Matt Hollard (3/28) announced themselves in spectacular fashion, combining for five wickets while conceding just 54 runs across their eight overs.Matthew Humphreys (3/38) added another inspirational chapter by bowling through an injured hand to claim three crucial wickets.India's chase never truly gathered momentum despite Abhishek Sharma's explosive 50 and Shivam Dube's 25. Wickets fell at regular intervals as the visitors were bundled out for 148 in 18.5 overs.The victory was Ireland's first over India across all international formats and one of the greatest results in the nation's cricket history.For India, meanwhile, the defeat extended an extraordinary statistic. Three successive men's T20 World Cup champions have now lost the very next T20I they played after becoming world champions.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.