Shreyas Iyer issues rallying call to teammates after Ireland stun India in landmark 34-run victory: 'Can’t just turn up and win'

India captain Shrayas Iyer delivered a straightforward message to his teammates following the Men in Blue's stunning 34-run defeat to Ireland in the series-opening fixture on Friday in Belfast, urging responsibility and sharper execution moving forward.

History was made at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast after the Lorcan Tucker-led Ireland stunned the T20 World Champions India. The hosts' clinical bowling effort put the Indian batters under pressure, losing wickets in quick gaps.

Ireland's 34-run victory is their first-ever victory over Team India across formats, and celebrations were rampant after the visitors were bowled out in the 19th over.

Captain Iyer sends a strong message to Team India

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer stressed the importance of focus and effort, saying that victories do not come automatically and that they cannot just show up and expect to win.

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"I think you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t just turn up and win matches. You have to work hard and see to it that you’re in that moment. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ve got to stay in the present and see to it that if you’ve got that opportunity to squeeze the opponent, we’ve got to do that. And yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly," Iyer said.

Iyer: 'Great start as a captain'

Iyer also reflected on the match, highlighting the positives and missed chances and said that the bowlers picked a strong start but lost execution at times, allowing Ireland to capitalise.

The middle-order batter valued the experiences of playing in unknown conditions and observed it as a promising start to his captaincy tenure.

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"I think initially, the bowlers were bowling well. They got lateral movement, and they got a couple of wickets as well. So we got a tremendous start, but in between, we lost execution. We made them hit straight down the ground, where we know that the dimensions are pretty small.

"But then, yeah, the bowlers, when we had to shut down the overs, they were brilliant as well. So I thought 140 would have been an amazing score considering the start that we got to chase. But nonetheless, it’s a great experience over here. We got to play in these conditions, got a fair idea about the wicket, and yeah, great start as a captain," Iyer added.

Team India will attempt to level the series when they face Ireland for the second T20 match on Sunday, June 28, in Belfast.