NEW DELHI: For a week before the two T20I matches against India, Jai Moondra spent hours discussing his plans to tackle young pacer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Before the match, the 15-year-old wonder was tipped to make his international debut, but the Indian team management decided to continue their World Cup success.Although the 15-year-old did not appear in the series, the preparation was beneficial for Moondra. The left-hander took five wickets in two matches, including a match-winning 3 for 32 in the second T20I, where he destroyed the new ball with a dismissal. Sanju SamsonAbhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer. “His biggest goal was against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Vaibhav finally didn’t play, but Moondra was so well prepared that the hard work was still there. He removed Sanju Samson twice and also took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube. The boy has put in a lot of effort, and the result is hard work,” Mohan SinghFormer Rajasthan cricketer Moondra sponsored his football, told TimesofIndia.com.
His main target was against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. After that Vaibhav didn’t play, but he prepared so well that the hard work still paid off.
Mohan Singh Teacher of Jai Moondra
Mohan Singh still vividly remembers the night in 2018 when Moondra, then an engineering student, walked into the Seema Sports Club in Jaipur and said, “Sir, meri ball andar nahi aati, woh theek kar do“(“Sir, my ball won’t swing. Please help me fix it.”)For the next three years, Mohan worked on Moondra’s biomechanics, and the Tonk-born cricketer got the chance to be a bowler in the Bengal Ranji Trophy team for the 2019-2020 season.“He was impressed VVS Laxmanwho was the batting coach of the Bengal team. Arun Lal loved his bowling and Manoj Tiwary praised him too,” recalled Singh.
Jai Moondra (right) with his teacher Mohan Singh (Special Arrangements)
Mohan Singh, who worked with the late Tarak Sinha for 15 years, also shared an interesting story of how Moondra entertained “Ustaad ji” at the Sonnet Club in Delhi.“It was close to Covid. I sent him to Ustaad ji and asked him to take a look. Ustaad ji had a keen eye for art. A few weeks before he died, I remember him asking me about Jai. When I told him that the boy had moved to Ireland for higher education, he was a little disappointed but said, ‘Kaafi mehnati ladka laga‘ (He looked like a hardworking young man).”The hard work never stopped for Moondra, who moved to Ireland in 2021 to pursue a Master’s degree in Electronics and Communication.“He was a good batsman before he became a bowler. Woh pagal tha cricket ko lekar (He was crazy about cricket),” Jai Moondra’s mother, Vidya Moondra, told this website.“We were surprised when he told us that he had been selected for the Ireland team. Then he played for the first time and played a big role in Ireland’s victory over India. We were a little disappointed with India’s defeat, but compared to our son’s happiness, everything else seemed insignificant,” he said with a laugh.After moving to Ireland, Moondra started playing for Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin. He was part of the team that won the Irish Senior Cup in 2023 and was also the bowler when India toured Ireland under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah.
Jai Moondra plays for Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin
“Interestingly, VVS Laxman was the coach of the Indian side, and he immediately recognized Jai. Even Bumrah shared a few tips with him. It was very rewarding for him,” said Mohan Singh.Back then, however, Moondra was into sports and cricket. He was hired by Intel, but from 2025 onwards his focus was on cricket. A year later, he had become Ireland’s newest champion.Moondra’s LinkedIn profile shows that he parted ways with Intel in June 2025 and is currently looking for technical positions in Ireland and across Europe, with the #OpenToWork badge visible on his profile. After his impressive debut, however, it seems that his corporate career has to take a backseat, for the next few years, as he is expected to become a household name in T20 cricket.Meanwhile, in Tonk, some 7,100 kilometers from Belfast, the Moondra family has been the center of attention overnight. Friends, family and neighbors who wanted to know more kept coming, when the phone stopped ringing.For Vidya Moondra, however, this moment is less about fame and more about gratitude.
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“Sab upar waale ki dua hai, i tarah desh ka naam roshan kare (Everything is the grace of God. I pray that he will continue to make the country proud),” he said.He admits that India’s defeat was painful, but seeing his son’s history in international cricket made it a day the family will cherish forever.
