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.
It was very much like West Indies in the final of the 1983 World Cup. India’s bowlers bowled smart, tight lines and lengths, and there was that outstanding, game-turning catch by the skipper, Kapil Dev, to get rid of Viv Richards, who looked intent on finishing the game in a canter. When you look at West Indies batters’ dismissals, you will see the same overconfidence and casualness that we saw from the Indian batters in both games against Ireland.
Playing according to the situation is such an important aspect of any sport, especially cricket, but almost all the Indian batters tried to live up to their image and, on pitches that had a little extra carry and bounce, found that they were dismissed very easily by some good catching allied to smart bowling.
While the eventual result may justify not picking Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this series was the ideal opportunity to give the young man a taste of international cricket. Hopefully, they will not waste any more time and will play him in the very first game against England in a few days’ time. Of course, the young man could fail, but if he gets going, then he will take the game away from the hosts and give India the chance to start the series with a bang.
The Indian women losing to Australia wasn’t a big surprise, but it didn’t make the day any better. They should have beaten South Africa, but so abysmal was their fielding against them that they lost from a good position and were virtually out of the tournament with that loss.
It’s tough to comment from this distance, but the question that most cricket lovers would ask is: did we play all fit players, or were there some who weren’t 100%? Playing a player who isn’t fully fit is understandable if that player is an impact player capable of delivering, even if not fully fit. Otherwise, it suggests that the reserve players are not good enough to take the injured player’s place. Hopefully, I am completely wrong, but to see players playing with bandaged fingers does give the impression that they are carrying an injury, even if it may be a minor one.
The other aspect that was noticeable is that, despite the 50-over win and the other matches where runs against the spinners were regularly taken over extra cover, there was no attempt to cover that gap with a fielder and make the batters attempt lofted shots with an open face of the bat.
Every game has to be a learning experience, and some learning curves are steep and sharp. If our men’s and women’s teams learn from that, then Indian cricket lovers may not have another Sunday like this for a long, long time.
Published on Jun 29, 2026
