Paraguay knocked out four-time champions Germany with a wild penalty shootout (4-3) win after the two teams were tied at 1-1 in regulation time in the Round of 32 match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 here at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.

Germany had never lost on penalties at the FIFA World Cup. After being down and out seemingly, Manuel Neuer got them back on level terms, only for Paraguay to finally seize their third spot-kick shot at reaching the last 16.

Julio Enciso put La Albirroja ahead in the 42nd minute. The Germans used their own aerial prowess to equalise with Kai Havertz diverting Florian Wirtz’s cross into the bottom corner. After another header, from Jonathan Tah, was ruled out, the tie went to a shootout.

Gill repelled two penalties in it to leave the Paraguayans all but through, only for Manuel Neuer to inspire a remarkable fightback. Finally, with what was the third spot-kick the Paraguayans had to progress, Jose Canale kept his cool to send Gustavo Alfaro’s charges through.

Germany started the penalty shootout but immediately found themselves on the back foot when Kai Havertz hit his spot-kick straight at the Paraguay goalkeeper. Mauricio capitalised on the error by burying his shot into the corner, though Joshua Kimmich quickly responded for the Germans, hesitating before confidently converting his effort.

Gustavo Gomez then struck well to put Paraguay ahead 2-1, only for Jamal Musiala to level the score at 2-2 with an effortless finish. The drama intensified as Matias Galarza successfully converted to put Paraguay on the brink of victory after Nick Woltemade’s subsequent effort for Germany was saved.

However, the four-time champions clung on as Antonio Sanabria saw his potential match-winning strike repelled, allowing Nadiem Amiri to step up and coolly make it 3-3.

With a second chance at glory dangling before Paraguay, veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer delivered another clutch moment to keep Germany alive by denying Fabian Balbuena.

Yet, the South Americans would not be denied a third time, as Jose Canale stepped up and buried his decisive effort to spectacularly knock Germany out of the tournament.

Former G20 Sherpa and ex-NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has emphasized that stronger economic and strategic ties between India and the United States would create significant benefits for both nations, highlighting the growing importance of bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, technology, and innovation.

Speaking amid ongoing discussions on a proposed India–US trade agreement and reports of high-level diplomatic engagements, Kant said the United States remains one of India’s most important trading and investment partners.

He noted that expanding the relationship would help both economies unlock new opportunities in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Kant pointed out that the United States accounts for nearly 26% of global GDP and represents almost half of the world’s total market capitalization, making it a crucial destination for investment, technology collaboration, and business partnerships.

According to him, deeper engagement with the American market could accelerate India’s long-term economic growth while also strengthening supply chains and innovation ecosystems.

He also stressed that India has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and is steadily increasing its influence in global manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies. As India advances toward its long-term economic ambitions, stronger cooperation with the United States could help both countries remain competitive in sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.

Kant added that while India stands to benefit from closer ties with the US, Washington must also recognize India’s growing geopolitical and economic significance. He described India as a vibrant democracy that has implemented major structural reforms and is well positioned to become one of the world’s largest economies in the coming decades.

His remarks come at a time when New Delhi and Washington are working toward finalizing a bilateral trade agreement. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently indicated that negotiations are nearing completion, with both sides seeking to enhance market access, strengthen investment flows, and deepen cooperation across multiple industries.

Analysts believe that a stronger India–US partnership could improve resilience in global supply chains, encourage greater technology transfers, boost foreign direct investment, and expand opportunities for businesses in both countries.

As geopolitical and economic dynamics continue to evolve, the relationship between the world’s largest democracy and the world’s largest economy is expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping global growth and innovation.

Meta-owned WhatsApp has officially started rolling out global username reservations, introducing one of its most significant privacy-focused updates in years.

The new feature allows users to reserve unique usernames that can eventually be used instead of sharing personal phone numbers when connecting with new contacts.

The announcement marks a major shift in how people will interact on the world’s largest messaging platform, which serves more than three billion users globally. The feature is expected to become available gradually over the coming months, with username reservations opening first before the full messaging functionality is enabled.

A New Layer of Privacy

Until now, WhatsApp users have had to exchange phone numbers before initiating conversations. While the platform has long offered end-to-end encryption, sharing a personal number has remained a privacy concern—particularly when interacting with new acquaintances, businesses, community groups, or event participants.

The new username system changes that by allowing users to share a unique handle instead of their mobile number.

According to WhatsApp, usernames are designed as a privacy feature rather than a social networking identity. Unlike platforms such as Telegram or Instagram, WhatsApp will not maintain a public username directory or recommend usernames through search. Anyone wishing to contact a user must already know their exact username.

Your phone number is secure. You no longer need to share your phone number; you may now use your individual username. There are no suggestions and no public directory; in order to locate you, people must be aware of your precise username. You may change your username immediately in the app,” WhatsApp stated.

You may establish a “username key” to restrict who can message you; anyone who messages you for the first time using your username will need the key to contact you, giving your account an extra layer of security. You can change the key at any time.

Without disclosing your phone number, you may communicate with others on WhatsApp using a username. “You choose your own, and it doesn’t have to match your handle on any other app,” the Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform said in a statement.

It’s a privacy function at its heart, not a social media handle; there’s no directory to explore or suggestions, so users must know your precise username to get in touch with you for the first time, it continued.

How Username Reservations Work

Users who receive access to the feature can reserve a username by updating to the latest version of WhatsApp and navigating to:

Settings → Account → Username (Android)

or through the profile settings on iPhone.

Usernames must be unique and will generally contain between three and thirty-five characters. Once reserved, they can later be used when the broader feature launches globally.

Extra Protection Against Spam

WhatsApp is also introducing an optional username key, an additional privacy mechanism that requires people to know both the username and the user-generated key before initiating contact.

This extra verification aims to reduce unwanted messages and spam while giving users greater control over who can reach them.

Importantly, existing contacts and ongoing chats will continue functioning normally, and users can still choose to share their phone numbers whenever they prefer.

Priority for Brands and Public Figures

Meta has confirmed that businesses, creators, and organizations will be able to claim usernames matching their existing Facebook or Instagram accounts whenever available.

To reduce impersonation risks, usernames associated with celebrities, public figures, and well-known organizations have already been reserved internally before the public rollout.

This approach is intended to protect verified identities while ensuring consistency across Meta’s family of platforms.

Why the Update Matters

Privacy experts have long argued that requiring phone numbers for first-time communication creates unnecessary exposure, particularly in online marketplaces, educational groups, volunteer organizations, and business interactions.

The username system offers users a safer alternative without sacrificing WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.

For businesses, the feature could simplify customer engagement by allowing customers to contact official accounts without needing to save phone numbers.

Industry Perspective

The move also brings WhatsApp closer to competitors like Signal and Telegram, both of which have offered username-based communication for some time.

However, WhatsApp has intentionally taken a more privacy-focused approach by eliminating public username discovery and search functionality, making unsolicited contact significantly more difficult.

Looking Ahead

The global reservation phase has already begun, while the full username messaging experience will roll out later this year in stages. Users will receive an in-app notification once the reservation feature becomes available for their account.

As privacy expectations continue to evolve, WhatsApp’s username initiative represents one of the platform’s biggest identity and security changes since the introduction of end-to-end encryption. If widely adopted, it could fundamentally change how billions of people connect while keeping personal phone numbers private.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has implemented an “Improvement Notice” system under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, enabling enterprises to fix specific first-time procedural or regulatory non-compliance issues prior to the initiation of penalty proceedings.

According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, which promotes ease of doing business (EoDB), promotes voluntary compliance, and lowers unnecessary litigation, has put the reform into effect.

According to the statement, the new mechanism permits a Legal Metrology Officer to issue an Improvement Notice to companies that commit specific first-time procedural or regulatory errors, specifying the problem and allowing a fair amount of time for correction.

Penal procedures can be avoided if the company complies within the deadline.

Nevertheless, further action under the Legal Metrology Act will be taken against continuous infractions, failure to follow the Improvement Notice, fraud, tampering, and other acts that negatively influence consumer interests.

Pralhad Joshi, the Union Minister for Public Distribution, Food, and Consumer Affairs, declared that the Improvement Notice mechanism’s introduction is “another step towards trust-based government and simplicity of conducting business. ”

The government has implemented the Improvement Notice mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act of 2009, according to his message on the social media network X, which gives businesses the chance to correct certain first-time procedural and regulatory non-compliances before penal proceedings are started.

To safeguard the interests of consumers, the minister stated that the measure would promote voluntary compliance, lessen needless litigation, and reduce the compliance burden while guaranteeing severe action against fraud, tampering, and recurring offenses.

The government announced that the mechanism strives to establish a more transparent, predictable, and business-friendly regulatory framework while upholding strict consumer protection norms.

Manufacturers, importers, packers, merchants, repairers, traders, MSMEs, and other regulated businesses covered by the Legal Metrology Act will also be subject to the reform.

The process addresses several first-time non-compliance with rules and regulations, such as those pertaining to packaged products, documentation and record maintenance, model approval, production, sale and repair of weights and measures, importation of weights and measures, and submitting statutory information and returns.

The department further stated that the new framework does not weaken enforcement under the Legal Metrology Act or lessen consumer protection.

Only certain first-time procedural and regulatory violations are eligible.

According to the ministry, the Improvement Notice system reflects the government’s aim of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” by encouraging trust-based regulation, decreasing superfluous compliance burdens, and promoting voluntary compliance.

It further stated that the reform safeguards consumer interests and strikes a balance between preserving the integrity of the legal metrology system and assisting honest enterprises in achieving compliance.

On Sunday, at Lord’s, Australia completed the highest successful run chase in tournament history, defeating India by six wickets, putting an end to India’s run in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in heartbreaking fashion.

Australia, chasing a difficult score of 171, completed the chase with an over remaining thanks to fantastic half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, putting an end to India’s aspirations of making it to the semifinals.

Australia and South Africa advanced to the top four with eight points apiece, while India concluded third in Group 1 with six points from five games after the loss. Despite posting one of their greatest batting performances of the competition, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team suffered another agonizing exit.

Following Harmanpreet Kaur’s outstanding late charge, which propelled her team to 170/4, a score that looked competitive on a surface that provided something for both batsmen and bowlers, India seemed to be in total control. However, Australia’s experienced middle order absorbed the early pressure before launching a clinical pursuit that eventually rewrote the Women’s T20 World Cup record books.

Australia was caught off guard when Renuka Singh trapped Georgia Voll leg before in the first over, necessitating a good beginning. Voll briefly поднял indian spirits in what was a must-win encounter by leaving for only four.

However, Australia was able to recover fast after Renuka’s opening over included four wides and gave up 11 runs. Phoebe Litchfield, back from injury, looked confident from the start as she hit back-to-back boundaries off Kranti Gaud in the second over, before Beth Mooney joined the assault with two boundaries of her own.

Following the power play, India immediately discovered another advancement via Shree Charani, their leading spinner.

Australia’s response was swift, even though Litchfield left for a composed 24 runs off 25 deliveries, an innings that included two fours and a six.

In her first three deliveries, Ellyse Perry walked in with a positive attitude and hit two boundaries to show her approach. Mooney continued to turn the strike at the other end before attempting to escape against Deepti Sharma.

While Deepti reached another personal record by claiming the 356th wicket of her international career, India was given fresh hope by Mooney’s dismissal for 22 off 20 balls. India felt a break with 82/3. Perry and Ashleigh Gardner instead put together the match-winning partnership.

The seasoned pair slowly transferred momentum in Australia’s favour by expertly rotating their strikes before launching an aggressive onslaught against India’s bowlers. Perry maintained regular boundaries to keep the demanding rate under control, while Gardner quickly attacked Radha Yadav, hitting a four and a six during the 13th over.

Perry continued to hit beautiful drives through the infield while Gardner again cleared the ropes in the 15th over. In an effort to break the collaboration, Harmanpreet frantically looked for a breakthrough and even passed the ball to Shafali Verma, but the attempt was unsuccessful since Australia easily added another 12 runs.

The 17th over was the turning point. Perry’s half-century came off only 33 balls, with another boundary, as India’s most seasoned pace bowler, Renuka Singh, struggled. India’s prospects of recovering were effectively dashed when the over gave up 17 runs.

Perry ultimately fell in the last over after a magnificent 56 from only 38 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries, but by that point the damage had already been done. There wouldn’t be a last-minute twist, Gardner made sure of it.

Australia achieved the highest successful run chase in Women’s T20 World Cup history in 19 overs, with Australian all-rounder Deepti Sharma remaining unbeaten on 53 after reaching her half-century in just 28 balls with a boundary, securing them a spot in the semifinals.

Harmanpreet chose to bat first after winning the toss, and India had one of the tournament’s greatest batting performances earlier.

A lot of things can open up. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana took a conservative approach, analyzing the circumstances at Lord’s while scoring only three runs in the first over.

Mandhana quickly discovered her timing after settling in. She hit four consecutive boundaries off Kim Garth in the second over, then added another four in the next over, as India gradually gained momentum.

Shafali first played the supporting part before launching a counterattack on Ashleigh Gardner. Before the powerplay’s final over, the aggressive opener hit a six and a four in the fourth over, helping India reach 43 without a loss after six overs.

Captain Sophie Molineux clean-bowled Shafali for a fluid 34 off 26 deliveries, giving Australia their breakthrough in the 10th over. She made an exciting innings of two sixes and three fours and gave India a formidable 66-run opening partnership.

Jemimah Rodrigues rapidly established herself with an early boundary as Mandhana maintained control of the innings. Nevertheless, a serious communication breakdown between the couple cost India its momentum.

Rodrigues, who was determined to play a reverse sweep, was unable to react swiftly enough when Mandhana requested a speedy single. Mandhana was run out for 38 off 37 balls after an otherwise well-constructed innings that included six boundaries due to the misunderstanding.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur took control right away after India unexpectedly lost two wickets in rapid succession.

She rebuilt the innings alongside Jemimah with shrewd strike rotation and well-timed boundaries. Prior to Harmanpreet changing gears drastically in the final overs, the duo led India over the 100-run barrier in the 14th over.

India exceeded the 150-run threshold when Jemimah also hit a six in the 19th over, speeding things up.

As Rodrigues was dropped twice, Australia’s fielding standards noticeably declined in the last stages. India withdrew her after a productive 34 off 28 balls, which included a four and a six, after realizing there was a chance for a stronger finisher.

Before being dismissed on the following ball, the Indian captain unleashed an incredible assault, blasting three straight sixes to reach her half-century in just 25 balls. Her spectacular 56 off just 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes, helped India reach a daunting 170/4.

Brief Scores:
India 170/4 in 20 overs(Harmanpreet Kaur 56, Smriti Mandhana 38, Shafali Verma 34; Sophie Molineux 2-46)
Australia 172/4 in 19 overs (Elyssa Perry 56, Ashleigh Gardner 53*,Phoebe Litchfield 24;Shree Charani 2-32, Deepti Sharma 1-31)

To cap off an amazing 2-0 series win over the Asian giants—their first-ever bilateral victory over them—Ireland really upped their game when it mattered most to beat India by a single run.

Jai Moondra’s early strikes and disciplined death bowling helped the hosts defend 154/8 at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Stormont on Sunday, despite vice-captain Tilak Varma’s fighting 55 keeping India in the chase.

The bowlers performed admirably as a unit to keep India at bay, while Harry Tector, in his 100th T20I game, anchored the innings with a scratchy but crucial 53. Moondra and Matthew Hollard each grabbed three wickets.

The outcome of the match marked one of Irish cricket’s greatest weekends ever, putting an end to India’s run of 16 consecutive T20I series victories dating back to 2023. The club was missing its five first-choice players and was captained by Lorcan Tucker, who had just been named T20I captain.

However, Ireland demonstrated incredible resolve in both games to protect totals and commemorate a spectacular victory in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. The series defeat was a sobering lesson for India, demonstrating the difficulties of playing outside of IPL-style batting surfaces and their ongoing difficulties against left-arm pace. The middle order collapsed under pressure despite Varma’s opposition, forcing the T20 World Cup winners to accept defeat.

India’s chase got off to a terrible start when Moondra sent back opening batters Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for first-ball ducks. Samson was trapped lbw and fell for a duck in the same manner as in the first game after missing a flick off Moondra’s skiddy delivery. Abhishek hit Moondra’s short delivery to third man on the fourth ball.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer was 10 runs short of his stumps when Moondra bowled him, further rattling India. But a mix-up led to his run-out for 12, as Ishan Kishan tried to bat with Tilak Varma. Having lost four wickets during the Powerplay for only the 13th occasion in Twenty20 Internationals, India was in serious difficulty at 39/4. But Vice-Captain Varma kept his cool.

He steadied the innings with a 32-run stand with Axar Patel by hitting successive boundaries off Moondra through the leg-side. Even with the asking rate hovering over eight runs per over, the pair made sure India remained in the game despite the rain briefly halting play.

Matthew Hollard snapped the partnership once the game restarted when Axar attempted to guide him, but Lorcan Tucker, who made a fantastic one-handed catch by diving to his left, caught him. Before pulling to deep square leg off Matthew Humphreys, Shivam Dube contributed two fours to the innings’ momentum.

During all of this, Varma waited about before scoring his fifty in 45 balls with India’s first six of the innings by kneeling low to hoist Hollard over deep mid-wicket. Varma’s effort to hit a lofted drive, however, resulted in him mistiming to extra cover on the very next ball, and debutant Suryansh Shedge’s attempt to clear the bigger side of the ground finished in a catch to deep mid-wicket.

However, Rana had a different plan; he slammed Moondra through point for four before muscling him over long-on for six. In the final over, Rana was able to get a boundary on the free hit by fending off the keeper, leaving 20 runs needed.

Even if Tector had two wides, he ended up laughing last when he had Rana caught at long-on. Even though Prince Yadav scored a six on the final ball, it wasn’t enough to prevent Ireland from winning.

Ireland seemed to score 180 before, especially since Ben Calitz (37) and Tector had a 65-run partnership. Ireland could only go over the 150-mark due to their rapid loss of wickets at the conclusion. For India, Prince was spectacular on his debut, hitting hard lengths and mixing yorkers and slower deliveries to outwit Irish batters in the final stages of the game.

Axar Patel and Suryansh Shedge, the second debutant, were without wickets, while Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana were also among them. Ireland were put into bat first and began with a bang, as Ross Adair hit two consecutive sixes off Arshdeep in the first over.

However, Rana broke through in the second over, taking out Tim Tector, before Arshdeep bowled Adair for 16, putting the home side on the back foot.

Ireland suffered further damage when Prince caught Lorcan Tucker behind at the halfway point, as they reached 58/3. However, Tector and Calitz helped the innings move along by hitting boundaries off of Shedge and Axar with ease. Dube’s double strikes in the 15th over, which saw the dismissals of Calitz and Gareth Delany, broke their partnership and threatened to put Ireland near 180.

Ireland remained in the game thanks to Tector’s battling fifty and George Dockrell’s cameo of 19 after a four-minute rain delay. However, Prince’s brilliant changes led to him firing Tector and Liam McCarthy in the last over, giving him a memorable T20I jersey outing.

Ireland, however, ended up writing one of the best chapters in their cricketing history.

Brief Scores:
Ireland 154/8 in 20 overs (Harry Tector 53, Ben Calitz 37; Prince Yadav 3-22, Shivam Dube 2-25)
India 153/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 55, Harshit Rana 21; Matthew Hollard 3-26, Jai Moondra 3-32)

Prabhjeet Singh, who was Uber’s President of India and South Asia before leaving the ride-hailing company on Friday after 11 years, is now Sam Altman-managed OpenAI’s India Managing Director.

Singh will bolster the leadership team of the major AI firm as it expands into one of its priority areas, according to the company.

Singh will begin working for OpenAI in September and report to Kiran Mani, managing director for Asia Pacific, the US-based business stated on June 26.

According to many sources, Singh will be responsible for the company’s performance across operations, regulatory engagement, strategic alliances, enterprise adoption, and consumer growth.

He’ll also concentrate on forging ties within India’s AI landscape and facilitating the adoption of AI by consumers, companies, organizations, and governmental entities.

An Uber representative stated before that India remains one of the company’s most important global markets and that it is still dedicated to increasing its presence there.

“India is one of Uber’s most important markets worldwide, a major driver of long-term expansion and innovation. The spokesperson said that our business’s current strength is a result of the amazing team and foundation established throughout the years.

“We appreciate Prabhjeet’s leadership and long-lasting contributions over his decade-long tenure with Uber; we are still dedicated to our next stage of development in India,” the representative continued.

Singh joined Uber over ten years ago and was instrumental in developing the company’s operations throughout South Asia and India.

His term occurred during a time of fast growth for the ride-hailing sector, which saw rapid competition, technical progress, and changing customer expectations.

Under his leadership, Uber grew its presence in several Indian towns and diversified its services away from regular cab-hailing activities. The corporation enhanced its customer experience efforts, strengthened its collaborations with drivers, and increased its focus on technology-driven mobility solutions.

India, the reigning T20 World Cup champion, played with a new captain and a new-look squad, and lost badly by 34 runs to Ireland in the first T20I of the two-match series at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday.

After eight straight victories in the shortest format, this is India’s first loss against Ireland.

Matthew Humphreys and Matthew Hollard each claimed three wickets in a disciplined bowling effort that helped Ireland bowl India out for 148 runs in 18. 5 overs, sealing a historic victory and putting a bad start to Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy.

India got off to a quick start against the Irish bowlers in pursuit of a demanding goal of 183 runs, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge. India ran to 16 without loss in the opening over as the left-hander hit a boundary and a six.

Jai Moondra created a fantastic delivery to wipe up Sanju Samson and give the hosts an early breakthrough, and Ireland answered immediately.

India’s pursuit was kept on track by Abhishek, who maintained his aggressive style and blasted four boundaries off Liam McCarthy in one over. India, however, experienced yet another setback when Matthew Hollard bowled Ishan Kishan out for four runs after he misjudged a flick.

India’s new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer failed to make an impact, scoring only three runs off seven balls before departing, leaving India under duress despite Abhishek’s counterattack. As a result, the wickets kept falling.

After six overs, India was 68/3 thanks to a few lovely strokes from Tilak Varma, who hit two boundaries in the last over of the Power-play.

Abhishek reached a stunning half-century in just 19 balls, but Ireland struck at the perfect moment, dismissing the opener for 50 off only 20 pitches. India was 85/4 after his entertaining knock, which included seven fours and two sixes.

India’s chase was further damaged by Matthew Hollard, who got rid of Washington Sundar for nine, while Tilak’s promising innings came to an end soon after he was dismissed for 19 off 21 balls.

Shivam Dube maintained India’s hopes with an aggressive cameo, hitting two sixes and a boundary in his 16-ball, 25-run performance. Axar Patel struggled to pick up speed at the other end and scored just 15 from 16 balls before being caught at long-on.

India’s hopes for a comeback were effectively dashed when Jai Moondra caught Dube’s resistance in a superb return catch off of his own bowling.

Matthew Humphreys finished the innings by removing Arshdeep Singh in the 19th over, while Harshit Rana smacked two boundaries late in the innings but was out for eight.

Jai Moondra took two wickets for Ireland, while Matthew Hollard and Matthew Humphreys both took three. Ireland achieved a memorable victory to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series thanks to Liam McCarthy and Gareth Delany each taking one wicket.

Prior to Harshit Rana striking twice in rapid succession, Ireland began aggressively through Tim Tector and Ross Adair after being put in to bat earlier after losing the toss. Harry Tector also fell early to Arshdeep Singh, while Adair left for 12 off seven deliveries after edging behind.

With a clever slower delivery, Rana then bowled out Tim Tector for 17, leaving Ireland at 32/3. At the conclusion of the power play, the hosts were at 36/3.

Ireland was in deeper trouble after Shivam Dube took Benjamin Calitz for 15 runs, who briefly counterattacked with two sixes. Nonetheless, Delany and Tucker put together a key partnership, combining timely boundaries with astute strike rotation to reconstruct the innings.

After settling in, Tucker picked up the pace and anchored the innings. He hit 16 runs off an Axar Patel over before scoring his half-century in 35 balls.

Despite Harshit ending Tucker’s brilliant 50-ball innings, Ireland remained offensive. George Dockrell hit 19 runs off Washington Sundar’s over right away, then scored quickly with Delany. The couple punished Prasidh Krishna, collecting 27 runs from the 17th over to push Ireland towards a strong finish.

Dockrell was bowled for a rapid 19 by Axar Patel, and Delany was caught off Arshdeep Singh in the penultimate over, scoring 49 runs off 31 deliveries with three fours and three sixes. Even with two additional wickets falling in the final over, Ireland still managed a respectable 182/9 total.

Harshit Rana took three wickets for 24 runs, while Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh each picked up two wickets. Ireland’s middle-order recovery and strong conclusion helped them reach a difficult total despite India’s excellent start with the ball.

Brief scores:
Ireland 182/9 in 20 overs (Locran Tucker 50, Gerath Delany 49, George Dockrell 19; Harshit Rana 3-24, Arshdeep Singh 2-28, Axar Patel 2-33)
India 148 all out in 18.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 50, Shivam Dube 25; Matthew Humphreys 3-38, Matthew Hollard 3-28)