Ireland made history on Friday by defeating India for the first time in international cricket, securing a memorable 34-run victory in the opening T20I at Stormont in Belfast. The result came as a surprise, considering India entered the series as the reigning T20 World Cup champions under new captain Shreyas Iyer.The unexpected result also attracted the attention of India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who expressed his dismay on social media. “Wow. I didn’t think I would see this Scoreline of team India vs Ireland. Well Played Ireland,” Pathan wrote on X after the match.Asked to bat first, Ireland posted 182/9. Captain Lorcan Tucker led the way with a well-made 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delany chipped in with 49 off 32 balls.The bowlers managed to bowl India out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Opener Matt Hollard took figures of 3/28 in four overs and was named Player of the Match, while his new partner Jai Moondra also played a big part in keeping the visitors at bay. For India, Harshit Rana took 3/24, while Abhishek Sharma’s blast of 50 off 20 balls was the only bright spot in the chase.Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker praised the importance of the win after the match. “It was a bit like a Test. I think it’s really nice to beat the world champions at home. Credit to the boys. All the work behind Cricket Ireland,” he said.Meanwhile, India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted his side’s defeat but remained optimistic ahead of the second T20I. “Initially, the bowlers were in pain with the bowling. But we lost our execution and they let them down, where the margin is small. I thought 140 would have been a good score to chase, because of the start we had with the ball. The next game,” said Iyer.