When Ireland stunned India and 4 other shocking bilateral series upsets in cricket history

Cricket fans are used to seeing occasional one-off shock results, but a sustained series victory by an underdog is an entirely different beast.

When Ireland recently stunned the cricket world by defeating top-ranked India 2-0 in a two-game T20I series, they proved that sustained dominance over multiple matches is possible even for lower-ranked nations.

A once-off victory can be attributed to many factors, but a series victory is something quite different. In short, a series win suggests there’s no luck involved, rather it is a matter of out-thinking and out-playing an opponent comprehensively.

A true series upset require tactical consistency, immense mental resilience, and the ability to withstand a counterpunch from a global superpower.

History has given us a few rare, magical moments where the underdogs did not just win a match, they completely conquered a bilateral series.

In the wake of Ireland’s monumental series triumph over India, let’s take a look at some of the other big series upsets over the history of the game.

1. Zimbabwe stun England in England (ODI series, 1996)

Zimbabwe achieved a historic 3-0 ODI series whitewash against England in the 1996/97 tour, securing victories in all three matches despite England fielding a side that included Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton, Graeme Thorpe and Nick Knight.

The hosts won the opening game in Bulawayo by two wickets, followed by a seven-run victory in Harare and a 131-run win in the final match to complete the series sweep.

While the result was a major shock, this was a seriously good Zimbabwe side busy announcing itself to the world.

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2. Bangladesh conquer Australia (T20I series, 2021)

Australia travelled to Dhaka for a five-match T20I series expecting to dominate despite missing a few key players. Bangladesh had never won a bilateral T20I series against Australia, but they used their home conditions perfectly.

The Tigers completely choked the Australian batting lineup on slow, turning pitches. Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman bamboozled the visitors, rolling them over for just 62 runs in the final game.

Bangladesh secured a historic 4-1 series victory, marking their first-ever bilateral trophy against the Aussies. Admittedly this was far from a full-strength Australia.

But you can only play the opposition placed in front of you and it goes without saying that while the Baggy Greens may have rested some of their established stars, they still sent a team they thought were good enough to win the series.

3. Sri Lanka humiliate South Africa at home (Test series, 2019)

Winning a Test series in South Africa is considered one of the hardest challenges in cricket, especially for Asian teams accustomed to spinning tracks.

Sri Lanka arrived in 2019 as massive underdogs, having just been thrashed in Australia.

What followed was pure magic. After Kusal Perera scored an iconic, unbeaten 153 to steal the first Test by one wicket, Sri Lanka then bowled out South Africa in the second Test to win by eight wickets.

The 2-0 triumph made them the first Asian team ever to win a Test series in South Africa. What makes this result so significant is that it was a full-strength Proteas team playing at home.

Kusal Perreira’s heroics will rightly go down as one of the greatest innings in Test history, but Sri Lanka were still good enough to win the second Test as well to underscore the fact that it wasn’t just a random miracle.

4. West Indies defeat England with a depleted squad (Test series, 2019)

England arrived in the Caribbean heavily favoured to reclaim the Wisden Trophy against a struggling West Indies side. However, the hosts displayed an aggressive brand of cricket that completely blindsided the visitors.

Kemar Roach dismantled England for 77 in the first Test, leading to a massive 381-run victory. The West Indies proved it was no fluke by winning the second Test comfortably by ten wickets. This unexpected 2-1 series victory restored immense pride to Caribbean cricket.

5. Ireland’s fairytale clean sweep over the World Champions (T20I series, 2026)

The cricket world witnessed its most modern miracle at Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast, where a transitional, less-experienced Irish team secured a historic 2-0 series whitewash against the top-ranked T20I powerhouse, India.

Entering the bilateral series without several seasoned stars, captain Lorcan Tucker’s young squad fearlessly took the fight to a heavy-weight Indian lineup captained by Shreyas Iyer.

After a commanding 34-run victory in the series opener, Ireland proved it was no fluke in a rain-disrupted thriller two days later.

Propelled by Harry Tector’s resilient 53 and a sensational opening-over double-strike by player-of-the-series Jai Moondra, Ireland held their nerve to restrict India to 153-9, defending their total by a solitary run.

This monumental triumph snapped India’s staggering 16-series unbeaten T20I streak and instantly cemented itself as one of the greatest giant-killing acts of the decade.

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