Mar 6 - India v Ireland

[angryangy]

but between yuvraj's bowling and harbhajan's batting there's a whole all-rounder in there somewhere

 

[SaiSrini]

Harbhajan has been pretty poor in this WC as well. Ashwin should defo get in against the Netherlands. I would consider bringing back Sree or Nehra too.

I think against SA in Nagpur, we might play three seamers, which means Nehra will come in for Chawla. In Chennai against West Indies, we must play atleast 2 spinners and I would play Ashwin there. Delhi should be a slow wicket too, so again the two spinner combo there.

Keep it on Yuvi! We need a performance like this from you on a more consistent basis if we have to lift the cup.

 

[Cricketman]

but between yuvraj's bowling and harbhajan's batting there's a whole all-rounder in there somewhere

 

[SaiSrini]

Is that an opening for Ireland? Wrong time for MSD to get out. He and Yuvraj were slowly batting India to safety. Looks like a tough pitch, and also Ireland are bowling very tight and good.

Edit: Yusuf bhai, Yusuf bhai!!!! OMFG!!! WHAT A STUNNING TURNAROUND!!!! 16 off 5 balls!!! MURDEROUS!!

 

[Gurjot95]

Bad win for India and great fight by Ireland. Top Class . One positive for India, UV back in form

 

[puneet28]

What's Yusuf thinking, says Manjrekar. Don't think he's thinking.

 

[SaiSrini]

Bad win for India and great fight by Ireland. Top Class . One positive for India, UV back in form

It was a tough pitch. I wont be too critical of India. England who lost to Ireland few days back, beat SA today. So you cant really judge the worth of a team by seeing how they play against certain teams. Yuvraj and Dhoni batted really well to not give Ireland a more better sniff at victory. And Yusuf came in and clinically finished it off, thereby not hurting our NRR in anyway.

Hope Yuvi continues this form. Today he batted like a Dravid or Tendulkar. Solid, sensible and with a huge sense of determination. His fielding also showed an upward surge today. Hope he has put his bad days back in the dumpster. Our match against SA next Saturday is going to be crucial. Hope Dhoni gets the team combination perfectly right for it.

 

[Gurjot95]

So the pitch is going to play more role in this WC than a team?

 

[SaiSrini]

So the pitch is going to play more role in this WC than a team?

Dont know what you mean by that? In the subcontinent, conditions have always played an important part in the result.

 

[Gurjot95]

If Bangladesh can beat Ireland. England can tie with India, Ireland can beat England, England can beat South Africa then this world cup is all about how pitch and condition are. No team looks to be dominating especially in Group B. Every team can win on their day.

 

[Kabooka]

No team looks to be dominating especially in Group B.

That's why its such an awesome group, it always leads to exciting encounters.

 

[SaiSrini]

If Bangladesh can beat Ireland. England can tie with India, Ireland can beat England, England can beat South Africa then this world cup is all about how pitch and condition are. No team looks to be dominating especially in Group B. Every team can win on their day.

Yes you are right. Thats why I will say that even though we are light on our bowling resources, we still have a good shot at the trophy because its the conditions, the opposition and the energy on that particular day that will decide who wins. Right now, we dont have a best team that is dominating the others. All of IND, SA, AUS, PAK, SL and ENG have a shot.

 

[used2bcool]

We were ok, and the Irish bowled to their plan and fielded like absolute tigers. Only thing is that their spinners, Stirling in particular, were a bit short with their length. But full credit to Ireland for making us earn every single run. The way they were going in the field, that target must've felt like 230.

 

[playkid12]

If Bangladesh can beat Ireland. England can tie with India, Ireland can beat England, England can beat South Africa then this world cup is all about how pitch and condition are. No team looks to be dominating especially in Group B. Every team can win on their day.

Not really. I don't understand your point because ever since Aussie fell from their heights, no one team has ever really looked dominant in ODIs. Any team can beat any team on a given day - all of the top teams are pretty evenly matched. Ireland beating England was an upset, a hiccup by England. It's highly unlikely that the Irish will beat another team (aside from the Netherlands). Bangladesh are also not expected to beat anyone except the Irish and the Dutch. West Indies are also a weaker side than the top 3 - England, India, and South Africa. As far as the top 3 go, it's a toss up.

Same can be said about Group A - it's a toss up between Pakistan, Australia, and Sri Lanka on who wins on any given day when facing each other. New Zealand is the "West Indies-like" team where they're better than the minnows but not quite up to the mark to the top 3. And Zimbabwe can be compared to Bangladesh. Since the minnows haven't caused an early upset yet, it's showing the reality - the true dominant sides being on top.

Of course pitch conditions matter, but the teams that are able to adapt to the conditions will be able to do much better. This has always been true of cricket though.

 

[Rehan_24]

Wake up call for India!!!