Ireland vs India: ‘Dream come true’ – India-born Jai Mundra helps Irish to historic victory.

More than 4,000 fans flocked to Stormont on Friday to witness cricket history under the Belfast sun.

That’s exactly what you get in the end.

But it wasn’t the “I was there” moment they imagined.

The build-up to the opening T20 between Ireland and India was in a position where the world champions could make a record-breaking debut for Vaibhav Soryavanshi.

At the age of 15 years and 91 days, he looked set to become India’s youngest international ever, following his impressive exploits in the Indian Premier League.

But the batting sensation’s surprising absence from the lineup ensured a footnote on a day that ultimately belonged to Ireland. The hosts won by an unforgettable 34-run.

Despite missing six players through injury, Ireland saw off the tourists to their first ever international victory in all competitions and added to a list of notable scalps that included Pakistan and England at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups.

One of the key players in Ireland’s stirring display was India-born pacer Jai Moondra, who took 2-26 in an eye-catching international debut, removing Sanju Samson with his first delivery.

“It was a big stage for me, my family and teammates were all rooting for me so all I could do was stay calm and keep doing what I was doing,” said Mundra, who said he would cherish his debut “for the rest of my life”.

“At the same time, I was excited. I was testing myself against India and trying to get a first-ball wicket, not to lose because we still have 9 wickets to go.

“It’s a dream to enter the international stage and play against India. It’s something special, a sense of class.”