“The party went on till late enough”: Dublin Guardians’ Ben Calitz recalls Ireland’s historic T20I Series win vs India

Irish cricket has enjoyed its share of landmark victories since becoming an ICC Full Member, but few have matched the significance of its recent T20I series triumph over India. This after all was the first time ever that Ireland had managed to beat India in any international fixture, across formats.

Against one of the game’s global heavyweights and the Number one ranked T20I team in the world, not to mention the reigning T20 World Champions, Ireland produced two composed performances to complete a memorable whitewash, underlining the progress the national side continues to make on the international stage.

Among those at the heart of the success was Ben Calitz. The young all-rounder produced an important innings of 37 from just 23 deliveries in the second T20I, helping Ireland post a competitive total before the hosts held their nerve to complete a historic series whitewash. 

Speaking to the ETPL recently, Calitz talked about the deserving celebrations that followed.

“It (post series win party) went on till late enough. But there were a couple of us that had a game on the Tuesday, so we were still being smart enough not to take it too late because we needed to go to Londonderry to play there,” the wicket-keeper-batter said.

 While the celebrations after the last ball of the second T20i was bowled were epic, Calitz revealed the belief within the dressing room, that they could clinch the series was there well before the second T20I was wrapped up.

Ireland’s opening victory had already shown they could compete with India, but rather than treating it as a one-off result, the squad viewed it as proof that another win was within reach.

 “After the first game, we were obviously over the moon, but there was a belief around the team that we could do it again,” Calitz said.

 That confidence carried into the decisive second T20I. Although Ireland felt they had fallen slightly short with the bat, the bowlers responded with discipline and composure to keep the contest alive throughout the chase.

 “Getting the total we got, we knew we hadn’t batted them (India) out of the game, but it was still going to be close enough. We knew we had two far better disciplines with the ball and in the field,” the 24-year-old who was born in Vancouver further said.

 As the match entered its closing stages, the pressure intensified. India pushed the contest into the final over before Ireland’s bowlers held their nerve to seal one of the most significant victories in their white-ball history.

 For Calitz, however, the magnitude of the achievement only truly sank in at the very end.

“Harry (Tector) held his nerve and we got over the line. I think when the last ball was bowled was when I really believed that we have actually done it”

 The series victory represents another landmark moment for Irish cricket at a time when European nations continue to strengthen their presence on the international stage. Beating one of the world’s strongest cricketing nations is about more than a result—it reinforces the progress Ireland have made over the past decade and highlights the quality emerging through their domestic system.

For Calitz, his innings in the second match in Belfast and the celebrations that followed after the series win will remain special memories. Yet perhaps more importantly, the series reflected something even greater: a dressing room that no longer hopes to upset the biggest teams, but genuinely believes it belongs alongside them.