NEW DELHI: A week before the two-match T20I series against India, Jai Moondra spent hours devising plans to counter teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Before the series, the 15-year-old prodigy was tipped to make his international debut, but the Indian team management decided to stick with their World Cup-winning combination.Although the 15-year-old did not appear in the series, the preparations proved successful for Moondra. The left-arm fast bowler picked up five wickets in two matches, including a match-winning spell of 3 for 32 in the second T20I, during which he wreaked havoc with the new ball by removing Sanju SamsonAbhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer. “His main plan was against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Vaibhav didn’t play in the end but Moondra prepared so thoroughly that the hard work still paid off. He dismissed Sanja Samson twice and also took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube. The boy put in a lot of effort and these results are simply the reward for that hard work,” Mohan Singha former Rajasthan cricketer under whose coaching Moondra sharpened his bowling, he told TimesofIndia.com.
His main plan was against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Vaibhav ended up not playing, but he prepared so thoroughly that the hard work still paid off.
Mohan Singh | Coached by Jai Moondra
Mohan Singh still vividly remembers the evening in 2018 when Moondra, then an engineering student, walked into his Seema Sports Club in Jaipur and said, “Sir, meri ball andar nahi aati, woh theek kar do” (“Sir, my ball is not spinning. Please help me fix it.”)For the next three years, Mohan worked on Moondra’s biomechanics and the Tonk-born cricketer got the chance to become the net bowler for the Bengal Ranji Trophy team during the 2019-20 season.“He impressed VVS Laxmanwho was the batting consultant with the Bengal team. Arun Lal loved his bowling and Manoj Tiwary also praised him,” recalled Singh.
Jai Moondra (right) with his trainer Mohan Singh (special arrangement)
Mohan Singh, who worked with the late Tarak Sinha for 15 years, also shared an interesting story about how Moondra impressed “Ustaad ji” at the Sonnet Club in Delhi.“It was just before Covid. I sent it to Ustaad ji and asked him to take a look. Ustaad ji had a keen eye for talent. Just a few weeks before he passed away, I remember him asking me about Jai. When I told him the boy had moved to Ireland to pursue higher education, he was a bit sad but said, ‘Kaafi mehnati ladka laga‘ (He looked like a very hardworking boy).”The hard work never stopped for Moondra, who moved to Ireland in 2021 to pursue a Masters in Electronics and Communications.“He was a very good batsman before he became a bowler. Woh pagal tha cricket ko lekar (He was crazy about cricket),” Jai Moondra’s mother Vidya Moondra told this website.“We were surprised when he told us that he had been selected for the Irish team. He then made his debut and played a big role in Ireland’s historic win over India. We were a little disappointed with India’s defeat, but compared to our son’s happiness, everything else seemed insignificant,” she said with a laugh.After moving to Ireland, Moondra started playing for Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin. He was part of the club’s team that won the Irish Senior Cup in 2023 and also served as a bowler when India toured Ireland under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah.
Jai Moondra plays for Leinster Cricket Club in Dublin
“Interestingly, VVS Laxman was the coach of that Indian side and he recognized Jai immediately. Even Bumrah shared some tips with him. “It was very fruitful for him,” said Mohan Singh.However, then Moondra was juggling work and cricket. He was employed at Intel, but from 2025 he focused exclusively on cricket. Within a year he had become Ireland’s newest hero.Moondra’s LinkedIn profile shows that he parted ways with Intel in June 2025 and is currently looking for permanent engineering roles in Ireland and across Europe, with the #OpenToWork badge visible on his profile. However, after his sensational debut, it looks like his corporate career may have to take a backseat, at least for the next few years, as he becomes a sought-after name in the T20 cricket franchise.Meanwhile, in Tonk, almost 7,100 kilometers from Belfast, the Moondra household became the center of attention overnight. Friends, relatives and curious neighbors stopped by, and the phone hardly stopped ringing.For Vidya Moondra, however, the moment is less about glory and more about gratitude.
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“Sab upar waale ki dua hai, isi tarah desh ka naam roshan kare (Everything is by God’s grace. I pray that he will continue to make the country proud),” she said.She admits India’s defeat hurt, but seeing her son make history in international cricket is a day the family will cherish forever.
