The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup has reached an interesting stage. It is India vs Ireland tomorrow, another Group B match with a lot at stake for the minnow team.
India and Ireland compete on 10th March
Ireland is just one point shy of making it to the quarter-finals. A victory tomorrow for the Irish would mean Pakistan or West Indies facing elimination.
It would be fair to say that Ireland has not been a consistent team, but they have not let go of the habit of disappointing Full Members. They have already beaten West Indies and Zimbabwe in this edition.
India, on the other hand, qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating West Indies in their last match. The ‘Men in Blue’ now have four victories in four matches with two more to go.
India have already qualified for the quarter-finals
Ireland, too, have two tough matches – India and Pakistan. They have amassed six points from their four matches; one more point and they sail through into the quarter-finals.
Head to Head
India and Ireland have faced once earlier (2011 ICC World Cup), where the team from the subcontinent convincingly beat their European rival.
India are 1-0 against Ireland
The Teams
Though Ireland’s team, more or less, looks the same since the two teams last met, Team India’s look is different. The young guns would be aware about their rival’s habit of defeating top teams and will want to give their best shot.
“I don’t think their guard will ever be down and they’re not going to look to lose any momentum from their point of view. Whatever they decide to do is out of our control”, said Ireland captain William Porterfield.
Ireland captain William Porterfield
The Location
One of the things that will be different for India on Tuesday is the pitch. They will be playing their first match in New Zealand in this World Cup edition with all their matches so far been played in Australia. Ireland though did play West Indies in their opening game at Saxton Oval, Nelson in New Zealand.
India will play their first match in New Zealand in this World Cup
Prediction
Ireland are clearly the underdogs in this match. Though India has a new team, they have displayed their prowess in all their four matches. India is likely to win this match.
However, if the game is washed out, both teams share one point each and Ireland enters the quarter-finals. This will mean Pakistan beating Ireland in their next meet or having a better NRR than West Indies to qualify.
If either Pakistan vs. Ireland or UAE vs. West Indies gets washed out, the team from the Caribbean will be knocked out of the tournament.
