Jai Moondra is a Rajasthan-born left-arm fast bowler who made his international cricket debut for Ireland against India in Belfast. It was a dream start for the debutant as he struck with his very first ball in international cricket by taking the big wicket of Indian opener Sanju Samson, who chopped the ball back onto his stumps.
Born on January 10, 1997, in Tonk, near Jaipur, Rajasthan, Moondra had an unconventional journey to the international stage. He began his cricket training in India at a young age, playing versatile roles. By the age of 16, he had developed into a top-order batter and a left-arm spinner.
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This is how Jai Moondra struck with his first delivery in international cricket 🔥pic.twitter.com/rhJ4Mpwg5E
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) June 26, 2026
He eventually rediscovered his passion for fast bowling during his college years, starting with tennis-ball cricket before moving on to the leather ball.
After finishing college in 2019, Moondra initially believed his cricket career was over when he took up a full-time corporate job.
However, his life took a massive turn in 2021 when he moved to Ireland on a student visa to pursue his Master’s degree in Electronics and Communication. While balancing his academic responsibilities and a later corporate job, he kept his cricket ambitions alive by joining the Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin.
Moondra quickly became a vital part of the Irish domestic circuit. A major breakthrough in his club career came in 2023 when he played a key role in helping Leinster win the prestigious Irish Senior Cup. His consistent performances as an aggressive bowler and useful lower-order batter caught the attention of the national selectors.
After obtaining Irish citizenship in 2025, Moondra received his maiden international call-up from Ireland selector Andrew White for the T20I series against India.
India Vs Ireland, 1st T20I: Playing XIs
Ireland XI: Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
