Team India hit an unprecedented new low after losing the two-match T20I series to Ireland in Belfast, ahead of their crucial tour of England. The Shreyas Iyer-led side were far from convincing as the underdogs outplayed them to complete a staggering, unforgettable result in the end.
After their 34-run defeat in the series opener, there were high expectations from the Indian side to issue a strong response and brand the earlier result as a rare anomaly. However, they faltered heavily once again, especially with the bat, to eventually lose the contest by one run and confirm their first series loss after 16 consecutive wins.
The unbelievable result, has inevitably led to massive outrage among fans and pundits, who have lambasted the players and the team management. On that note, let us take a look at the top five expert reactions on Team India’s shocking series loss in IRE vs IND 2026 T20Is.
#1 Mohammad Kaif
The former Indian batter blamed the team management for not including an in-form Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the playing XI. The poor display by the openers had a massive say in both losses for the Men in Blue. Although Abhishek Sharma top-scored in the first T20I, he was dismissed for a golden duck in the second match. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, scored only five runs in the series.
“If we talk about the best playing XI, Vaibhav Suryavanshi had a place in there, his name should have been there. The logic given was that this is a World Cup-winning team, so we will go with the same XI, and Vaibhav will have to wait. But you have to be consistent with that logic, right?” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
#2 Manoj Tiwary
The former KKR and India batter tore into the team management’s decision-making, questioning two crucial team selection debates. Tiwary, like several others, questioned Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s exclusion as well as the strong backing for Washington Sundar.
The all-rounder featured in the series opener, and put in a poor display with both bat and ball, before being dropped for debutant Suryansh Shedge in the next match.
“Why won’t you not play him in the playing XI from the first game itself? Rather, you chose to go with the ones who did well in the World Cup that happened before the IPL. You thought that they would deliver the same performance in the Ireland series as well,” Manoj Tiwary said.
“Your so-called part-time obsession has not lived up to your expectations, so that is why you just made him play one game. So, you are not consistent in your decision-making. It is very sad to see India lose a series against Ireland,” he concluded.
#3 Aakash Chopra
The former India opener noted that Sanju Samson might be the first to run out of rope if his poor returns continue, and with Vaibhav Suryavanshi waiting on the sidelines. He also noted that the team should not find respite by the narrow loss margin in the second T20I after a late charge by the lower order, while the specialist batters failed miserably.
“Sanju got out on the first ball. Now I am getting a little worried about Sanju because he is the first player on whom the wrath falls. If someone has to go out, the first man on the chopping block is Sanju. So I was secretly hoping he would score runs, and definitely in the second match once he got out in the first,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“We might say that we lost by just one run because Harshit Rana hit fours and sixes and made the match thrilling, and Prince Yadav hit a six off the last ball. Forget about the one run. The fact is that you have lost two matches to a team you shouldn’t have lost to even one,” he said.
#4 Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary former batter remarked that losing a series to Ireland marks one of the lowest points in Indian cricketing history, and opined that the team were far too complacent while approaching the two-match affair.
Sunday, June 28, will go down as one of the worst days in Indian cricket. Losing a game of cricket is one thing, but to lose a series, albeit a two-match series, also depends on whom you lose to. There are many low points in Indian cricket, and I have been a part of some, but to lose to Ireland has to be one of the lowest in the history of Indian cricket. If Ireland had played exceptional cricket, then it would have lessened the blow. It was simply overconfidence and a sense of casualness that let India down, and that’s why the sadness,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
#5 Dinesh Karthik
The former wicket-keeper believed that Ireland completely outplayed India across all departments while the visitors struggled to adapt to the conditions. The Men in Blue have largely played in the subcontinent in 2026 so far, including the home series against New Zealand, the T20 World Cup 2026, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, and the white-ball series against Afghanistan, all of which have been conducive for batters.
“This is not how Shreyas Iyer’s era of captaincy should ideally start, but credit to Ireland. They have out-batted, out-bowled, and out-fielded, and have been wonderful through the series. When you play three months of IPL in Indian conditions, where the ball swings a bit less, the challenges are different when you start travelling abroad,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Team India now have a massive point to prove against England in the upcoming T20I series, which begins from July 1 onwards.
Edited by Gokul Nair
