Out in the cold, Indian cricket faced a harsh setback Sunday when Ireland swept them 2-0 in the short T20I series held in Belfast. Under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, the team that once claimed three world titles looked off balance, struggling at nearly every turn. Questions now hover, especially with the England tour just around the corner.
One run shy, India stumbled again when aiming for 155 after earlier losing by 34 trying to reach 183. Pressure cracked their lineup each time they batted. Bowlers held firm, sticking to plans amid tough surroundings. Still, the runs dried up too fast. Conditions tested them hard – too hard, perhaps.
Ravichandran Ashwin points to IPL conditions behind India’s batting struggles
Ashwin on India’s defeat against Ireland.
– Indian players are accustomed to playing on the ’24-carat’ flat wickets of the IPL, whenever they face tough conditions at the international level, they will struggle significantly. pi.wte.oh/taVms
— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@navshar54008403) Jn 8 06
Out of rhythm, maybe, because the grounds changed – that is what former all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin thinks holds Indian batsmen back abroad. Not used to sideways help or bounce, they struggle once outside the flat tracks seen during the IPL. Conditions shift sharply beyond home soil, where scoring comes fast, and boundaries pile up easily. So when seamers find grip on uneven turf, timing collapses. Familiarity with big totals at home blunts their patience elsewhere.
“The kind of 24-carat batting pitches we see in the IPL weren’t available here, and I really enjoyed the quality of cricket that was played,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Most of this Indian batting line-up has come straight from the IPL. Their real value at the international level will be tested only when they play on wickets that are not true batting surfaces. The batting line-up has undoubtedly improved because of the IPL, but when they come across pitches offering movement and assistance to bowlers, they are going to face difficulties,” he added.
Not every big hitter found form during the tour. Right after Abhishek Sharma blasted 49 from 20 deliveries in the first match, he fell without scoring in the next outing. Sanju Samson never settled into rhythm, whereas Ishan Kishan couldn’t push past early pressure. Bowling units from Ireland repeatedly cracked open gaps in India’s top order.
Truth be told, Ireland played smarter cricket through both games, Captain Shreyas Iyer said. Reading the pitch right seemed easier for them, he added, while India kept guessing till the end.
“It’s still definitely not a great series, honestly speaking, but kudos to them for the way they played. Ireland team, I think they showed professionalism and definitely had a tremendous idea about how the wicket was going to play and the field work there was phenomenal. So a comprehensive win to them and congratulations,” Iyer said after the match.
Also read: India vs Ireland 2nd T20I: Two Debuts, One Big Omission – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Still Waits
Bowlers got a nod for sticking to their strategy, he said. Still, the hitters didn’t read the surface right – chances slipped by without pushing enough runs.
“Absolutely. I feel the bowlers, they were phenomenal in terms of their execution today. But we fell a bit short in our batting. We fell a bit short in terms of analyzing how the wicket is going to play and also converting singles into twos. I think they definitely outplayed us in that department,” Iyer added.
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