India, June 27 -- Determined to retain the core of their World Cup winning squad, India resisted handing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his much awaited international debut. Just carrying the champions badge wasn't going to be enough, though.

The champions' curse struck again: the 2026 T20 World Cup winners lost their first bilateral match after the trophy win to Ireland, who secured a historic 34-run victory on Friday in Belfast. This mirrors the fate of India's 2024 T20 winning team.

It was Ireland's first-ever victory against India in any format. The result also marked an inauspicious start to Shreyas Iyer's innings as India T20I captain.

Despite the additional star on the jersey, India couldn't summon the winning spirit. Their batting was re...