India-born Moondra realises dream in famous Ireland win

More than 4,000 fans poured into Stormont on Friday hoping to witness a slice of cricket history under the Belfast sun.

In the end, that's exactly what they got.

But it wasn't the "I was there" moment they had anticipated.

The build-up to Ireland and India's opening T20 was dominated by the possibility of the world champions handing a record-breaking debut to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

At 15 years and 91 days old, he appeared set to become India's youngest international after an impossible-to-miss ascension to the national squad following his stunning exploits in the Indian Premier League.

But the batting sensation's surprise absence from the line-up ultimately proved a footnote on a day that belonged to Ireland as the hosts sealed a memorable 34-run win.

Despite missing six players through injury, Ireland produced a gutsy bowling display to claim a first senior international win over the tourists in all competitions - and add to a list of famous scalps that includes Pakistan and England at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups.

One of the key actors in Ireland's stirring display was India-born pacer Jai Moondra, who took 2-26 on an eye-catching international debut that included removing Sanju Samson with his first delivery.

"It was a big stage for me, for my family and my team members, they were all rooting for me so all I can do is keep calm and keep doing what I have been doing because it's kept me levelling up," said Moondra, who added he will "cherish" his debut for the "rest of my life".

"I was feeling excitement at the same time. Testing myself against India and getting a first-ball wicket, I was trying not to be overwhelmed because we still had nine wickets to go.

"It is a dream come true to get on to an international platform and play against India. It's something special, a class feeling."

Born in Tonk, a small town near Jaipur, the 29-year-old took a step back from cricket and moved to Ireland in 2021 to pursue a master's degree in electronics and communication.

But having settled in Ireland, he began playing for Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin and was part of the 2023 Irish Senior Cup-winning side.

Moondra has also featured regularly for Leinster Lightning, but his first international call-up came as a result of an injury to Josh Little.

"Cricket Ireland gave me the opportunity," he added.

"I'm really fortunate for that. It's nothing more than doing the duty. I'm just doing what I have been doing.

"It is still sinking in but it is a small step in a big ladder and hopefully there's more to come."

Moondra was not the only Ireland debutant to shine in Belfast as Matthew Hollard finished with 3-28 to take the player of the match award.

There were standout performances from more seasoned campaigners, too, with Lorcan Tucker marking his first game as permanent captain with a half-century off 36 balls.

It marked a stunning turnaround from a World Cup campaign that ended with a whimper when the weather-enforced abandonment of their group game against Zimbabwe ended hopes of reaching the Super 8s.

"The Ireland men's and women's teams have had good results over the past two or three years and we shouldn't forget that, but it's important we keep getting results against these teams - India, England and Australia," said Ed Joyce.

"The three big powers of the world game. To go out and compete against them is really important for us. This is a huge result. Hopefully it means India will come back and play us a lot more.

"Dare I say we'd love an Irish team to go out and tour India at some point, that would be fantastic."

Having opted to keep him in reserve, India may turn to Sooryavanshi when the sides meet again at Stormont on Sunday (13:30 BST).

It would mean breaking up the World Cup-winning partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Samson, but India head coach Gautam Gambhir may decide to blood the much-hyped batter before the team's white-ball series against England.

Sooryavanshi top-scored in the IPL with 776 runs in 16 innings for the Rajasthan Royals and last week belted 50 off 11 balls for India against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.

Speaking at the toss on Friday, India captain Shreyas Iyer said a desire to stick with the players who delivered a second straight World Cup win earlier this year was behind Sooryavanshi's omission.

"We are backing the majority of our cricketers who have been doing absolutely marvellous work," said Iyer.

"He will get his opportunity when the time comes."

But given such an unexpected defeat, perhaps his time will come as soon as Sunday.