India vs Ireland T20I Series: It was the first time in history that India lost a bilateral T20I series to Ireland by 2-0. India’s young batsmen could barely cope with seamer-friendly pitches after the IPL, which was full of batting-friendly conditions. Ireland thoroughly outplayed them in both games. Ravichandran Ashwin, ex-India’s off-spinner, considers that the defeat was more a reality check than a surprise. He says Indian batsmen will have a hard time in difficult conditions in international cricket as they are accustomed to “24-carat” batting tracks of the IPL, where making strokes is very easy.
Ravichandran Ashwin blasts Indian team after series loss against Ireland
Ashwin on India’s defeat against Ireland.
– Indian players are accustomed to playing on the ’24-carat’ flat wickets of the IPL, whenever they face tough conditions at the international level, they will struggle significantly. pic.twitter.com/gtGalvmmqs
— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@navshar54008403) June 28, 2026
Ravichandran Ashwin went after the Indian team after they lost the first T20I series in over 1000 days. The former Indian spinner blasted the players who are used to playing friendlier tracks in the Indian Premier League. While appearing on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, “The kind of 24-carat batting pitches we see in the IPL weren’t available here, and I really enjoyed the quality of cricket that was played. Most of this Indian batting line-up has come straight from the IPL. Their real value at the international level will be tested only when they play on wickets that are not true batting surfaces. The batting line-up has undoubtedly improved because of the IPL, but when they come across pitches offering movement and assistance to bowlers, they are going to face difficulties.”
Ireland clinch T20I series against India
Ireland, powered by brilliant three-wicket hauls by Jai Moondra and Matthew Hollard, registered a historic one-run win over T20I World Cup champions India at Belfast on Sunday and clinched the two-match series 2-0. The series win marks Ireland’s first-ever over India in any format. The Irish win also meant they ended India’s 16-series winning streak in T20Is. Ireland entered the match having won the first match by a comprehensive margin of 34 runs and also batted well to score 154/8 in the second match despite an impressive three-wicket haul by debutant Prince Yadav.
Ravichandran Ashwin in Major League Cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin signed up with the San Francisco Unicorns for the ongoing fourth season of Major League Cricket (MLC), thus becoming the first ex-India international player to take part in the tournament.
It was only after he retired from international cricket in December 2024 and quit the IPL at the end of the 2025 season, after an indifferent stint at the Chennai Super Kings, that Ashwin ventured into a T20 league outside of the IPL for the first time in his career. However, the veteran spinner has featured in only a single game so far for San Francisco Unicorns. Bowling a couple of overs in the game, Ashwin conceded 24 runs while going wicketless.
