Andy Balbirnie led the way with seven stunning sixes as Ireland came within a whisker of pulling off an incredible T20 chase at Malahide last night before losing to India by an agonising four runs.

A team that has struggled in the shortest format since the retirement of Trent Johnston nearly a decade ago should have had no right getting close to an India total of 225-7 but with one ball left they needed a six to win.

That Mark Adair could only pick out the cover sweeper should take nothing away from a batting performance that fired from the off with skipper Balbirnie and Paul Stirling peppering the boundaries in an opening stand of 72 in 5.4 overs.

Stirling must have improved his chances of picking up an IPL contract next year with a powerful 40 from 18 balls, including three sixes, while Balbirnie cleared the ropes on both sides and crashed three fours making 60 from 37 balls.

Harry Tector picked up the baton after his skipper was caught at deep point but it was George Dockrell who gave the world’s number one team the biggest scare with a scorching 34 not out from 16 balls, including a first-ball maximum over extra cover.

Tector fell for 39, failing to clear long on, but still Ireland refused to bend as the sixth wicket pair of Dockrell and Adair found boundaries at regular intervals to reduce the ask to 31 from the final two overs and 17 from the last.

More drama followed for the sell out crowd when Umran Malik overstepped with his second delivery, and two boundaries from Adair probably had Ireland narrow favourites with eight needed from three balls. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

An Ireland win would have been their finest in T20 cricket but it would also have been hard on Deepak Hooda who dominated the Indian innings with a classy 104.

To put the chase into perspective, a team that was humbled by Namibia in last year’s T20 World Cup and struggled to claim the second qualifying place for this year’s event, now owns the second highest score conceded by India in the format.