India, June 29 -- India suffered a shock T20I series defeat to Ireland in Belfast on Sunday, where the star-studded batting line-up under new captain Shreyas Iyer failed to fire in both matches. The back-to-back defeats intensified criticism of India's top order, especially after Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson were dismissed for golden ducks in the second T20I. It also reignited the debate over whether teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should have been given an opportunity after his stellar IPL 2026 campaign.

After dominating on batting-friendly IPL pitches, India's batters struggled to adapt to the seam-friendly conditions in Ireland. They were bowled out for 148 while chasing 183 in the series opener and could only manage 153/9 ...