New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Iceland Cricket kept the social media sparks flying and delivered yet another classic viral jab, this time targeting India men’s cricket coach Gautam Gambhir following India’s humiliating T20I series loss to Ireland.

Ireland’s greatest triumph in cricket, a 2-0 blanking of double world champions, ended India’s unbeaten run, which spanned 16 series and nearly three years. Seizing the moment, Iceland Cricket took to X to playfully rub salt into the wounds of men in blue, calling out head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“We can confirm that we don’t wish to add Gautam Gambhir to our coaching staff. He clearly has talent, though. To take those Indian players and deliver those results in Ireland takes truly remarkable gifts,” Iceland Cricket posted on X.

The sarcasm pointed towards India’s star-studded lineup, which included World Cup winners Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, succumbed to Ireland’s exceptional bowling performance.

Notably, India remained unbeaten in every T20I series since Gambhir took charge in 2024, a streak that ended on Sunday. Under his stewardship, India have whitewashed Sri Lanka (3-0) and Bangladesh (3-0) at home, triumphed 3-1 in South Africa, and edged England 4-1 at home. They also registered a 2-1 series win in Australia and beat New Zealand 4-1 at home.

This was Indian men’s first visit to Ireland after 2023. Prior to this series, India and Ireland have met on eight occasions in T20Is, with India winning all eight, the last encounter being at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in New York. Before the tour, India’s last T20I on Irish soil was in 2023.

However, Ireland broke a winless run against India in the opening T20I by registering their first-ever win over reigning world T20 champions by 34 runs; they picked up where they left off in the second T20I and scripted their historic first-ever series win over the Men in Blue.

–IANS

bc/