India ‘outsmarted’ by Ireland, says Ryan ten Doeschate after humiliat…

For nearly two years, India’s T20 side looked almost untouchable. They won the Asia Cup, conquered Australia away from home, defended their T20 World Cup crown and built an insane streak of 16 unbeaten bilateral series. That aura crashed in Belfast. An injury-hit Ireland side missing some of its biggest names (including Paul Stirling, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher and Josh Little) not only defeated India but also completed a 2-0 sweep that few saw coming.

The shock was evident even in the words of India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who admitted there was a sense of disbelief within the dressing room after the series ended.

“There’s a little bit of disbelief,” ten Doeschate said after the defeat. “It’s also very hard to be critical of guys who have just won a World Cup. We’ve been outdone or outsmarted by a team who just did the basics very well.” tbzikra.org

India might have lost a few important series in the other two formats, but the shortest format remained their strongest suit. Gautam Gambhir, as Indian head coach, hasn’t been defeated in a T20I series but now, the Men in Blue have to admit that they were complacent. The same management oversaw India’s triumphs in the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup, but it has also been present during two painful moments: the end of India’s 12-year unbeaten home Test series run and now the end of a 16-series unbeaten streak in T20I cricket.

Relive the final moments as Ireland Men sealed the series against India #BackingGreen | #IREvIND | #FailteSolar pic.twitter.com/K8MUb2sb3O

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) June 28, 2026

Ireland exposes India’s weakness

The biggest lesson for India from this shocking series is that they have to adapt quickly to conditions. India arrived with nine members of their T20 World Cup-winning squad. Ireland fielded four players who had never played a T20I before the series. Yet it was the hosts who looked far more comfortable in the conditions. Ten Doeschate pointed directly towards India’s inability to adjust.

“The guys really know how to play in India. This is a good lesson in the fact that we’re going to have to adapt and play slightly differently when we go to different countries and play against different teams.” He repeatedly referenced the strong crosswind and the difficulty of hitting straight at Stormont.

” I thought Ireland did that very well with the ball. They never let us hit straight. In two matches, I think we hit two straight sixes. They were both off the spinner. They just did the basics really well and we couldn’t combat that.” “We’re probably too used to a sort of a tempo and style where you can hit sixes more freely. I think this will be the case when you go to England as well, you know, maybe slightly quicker wickets, maybe slightly less wind, but we’re going to have to adapt and be a lot smarter about how we’d like to play if we’re going to get wins there.”

Ireland’s batters consistently targeted the V and picked safer scoring areas. India, meanwhile, kept attempting high-risk strokes square of the wicket despite the extra bounce and wind assistance for the bowlers.

World champions let themselves down

While the bowling had encouraging signs, the batting was awful in the series.

Harshit Rana returned from a four-month injury layoff with four wickets across the series and consistently troubled Ireland’s batters with pace and bounce. Prince Yadav impressed on debut. Even Shivam Dube chipped in usefully with the ball.

The problems were elsewhere.

Sanju Samson managed scores of 5, 0 and 0 across the two games and was dismissed twice by Irish debutant Jai Moondra. Abhishek Sharma produced a 49-ball blitz in the opener but followed it with a golden duck. Shreyas Iyer scored 3 and 10 in his first series as captain. Axar Patel’s struggles with the bat continued, with his T20 numbers in 2026 now reading an average of 14.86 and a strike rate of 119.89.

Even Tilak Varma’s half-century in the second match came under pressure and never quite changed momentum India’s way. He took too many balls, an issue that India need to address come the five-match T20I series against England, starting July 1.

The post India ‘outsmarted’ by Ireland, says Ryan ten Doeschate after humiliating series defeat appeared first on Inside Sport India.

The Free Fire MAX India Cup 2026 Fall season is heating up. The thrilling City Qualifiers phase is finally over. Fans across the nation witnessed intense grassroots competition. Twelve top teams emerged victorious from twelve major cities. These elite squads have officially secured their spots in the Play-Ins.

FFMIC 2026 Fall City Qualifiers Conclude

The excitement builds as we look ahead to the next stages. Garena continues to elevate the Indian esports ecosystem. This hybrid structure perfectly balances accessibility with top-tier professional competition.

Official Tournament Schedule

The tournament features multiple rigorous stages. Each phase tests the limits of the participating rosters.

• City Qualifiers: 30 May – 28 Jun
• FFC Qualifiers: 05 Jul
• Play-Ins: 20 – 26 Jul
• Group Stage: 06 – 16 Aug
• Knockout Stage: 28 Aug – 13 Sep
• Grand Finals: TBA

The long road to the championship requires extreme dedication. Teams must survive intense pressure in every single match. The stakes will grow continuously as September approaches.

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• TEZ Free Fire Max India Cup 2026 Fall: Complete Format Explained

Twelve Cities, Twelve Champions

The offline regional battles were highly competitive. Playing offline in home regions brought immense pride to participants. Local crowds enthusiastically cheered for their hometown representatives. Squads fought hard for a chance at national glory. The twelve winners showcased unmatched strategic gameplay and mechanical skill.

City	Qualified Team
Mumbai	Team Elite
Bhubaneshwar	RM Esports
Hyderabad	PVS Gaming
Patna	RDX Esports
Lucknow	Insane Power
Kolkata	Clutza Esports
Guwahati	Chillmates
Bengaluru	Team SMR
Chandigarh	Eagle Elite
Ahmedabad	RTX Esports
Jaipur	Naaz Esports
Indore	Team Tufan

These regional champions proved their dominance locally. Grassroots talent now has a genuine path to the top. Now, they must prepare for a much bigger national challenge.

FFMIC 2026 FALL: FFC Qualifiers

The City Qualifiers gave underdogs a massive platform. However, the true test is just about to begin. The upcoming stages will feature a massive step up. The upcoming FFC Qualifiers on July 5 offer another pathway. Aspiring squads can still register and compete for a spot. It is an open format available to players nationwide.

Following the FFC phase, the grueling Play-Ins will start. From July 20 to July 26, the pressure will multiply. The twelve city champions will face off against formidable opponents. Experienced professional teams will also enter the fray soon. The twelve regional winners cannot afford to make any mistakes. Every single elimination could spell disaster for their championship dreams. Only the strongest will advance to the Group Stage.

The post FFMIC 2026 Fall City Qualifiers Conclude: Twelve Teams Secure Play-Ins Spot appeared first on Inside Sport India.

Canada vs South Africa FIFA World Cup 2026: Stephen Eustaquio was born in Ontario by moved to Portugal as a child and even represented Cristiano Ronaldo’s team in at the Under-21 level in 2017 and 2018 season. But Eustaquio decided to shift base back to Canada in 2019 and made his senior team debut the same year. What was Portugal’s loss has proved to be Canada’s gain as he has powered the co-hosts to the Round of 16 stages with his match-winning goal in the 92nd minute against South Africa at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on Sunday.

Eustaquio is now only the fifth player in the history of the World Cup to have scored in the 90th minute of World Cup knock outs after Edgar Davids (1998), Francesco Totti (2006), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (2014) and Nacer Chadli (2018). Soon after the match-winning strike, Canada’s goal-scoring hero burst into tears after remembering his late parents.

In 2023, Eustaquio lost his mother Esmeralda to brain cancer and a year later his father Armando also died after suffering a heart attack. “Everything I do is for my family, for my parents, for my girlfriend, for my daughter For my brother. For my friends back home. For all of them,” Eustaquio said after the match.

WATCH Stephen Eustaquio’s match-winning goal HERE…

THAT match-winning goal from Stephen Eustáquio! https://t.co/NA89JAtfuR pic.twitter.com/RPX1FcUKeu

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— Zunair Awan (@2917Zunii) June 28, 2026

Canada coach Jesse Marsch huddled his players on the grass and spoke from his heart. “You guys are Canadian heroes today! Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport. The sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game. You never lost belief. You went after it, point after point, moment after moment. You are Canadian heroes!” Marsch said.

After more than 90 minutes of frustration to break down the ‘Bafana Bafana’ defence at the SoFi Stadium, Canada made history when Alistair Johnston’s long pass into the box was cleared directly into the path of Eustaquio, who slotted into the winner.

The midfielder is a profession with Los Angeles FC, chested down the ball and blasted it into the bottom corner of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams net.

“We worked for it. We have a special group. We feel like we are brothers. When we fight for each other, when we play for each other, special things like this can happen. I am over the moon, but at the same time I don’t want to say that the job is finished,” Eustaquio was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

Canada, who are currently ranked 30th in the FIFA world rankings, moved into the Round of 16 where they will face the winners of Netherlands or Morocco clash in Houston on Saturday.

(How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India: Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website. Link: https://www.zee5.com/)