ICC WC 2011 - V - IND vs IRE (No mishaps!)

India vs Ireland - March 6, 2011 (ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 - Bangalore)

The major emotion expressed by Indian team supporters will be one of relief that India managed to navigate past Ireland without any mishaps! With this win, India have maintained their unbeaten record and can look forward to qualifying for the next stage without any problems.

To start off, MSD won the toss and elected to field, which in itself can be construed as a defensive move. Ireland had chased down a mammoth England total just days before and the indifferent form of Indian bowlers must have prompted this decision rather than any reading of pitch conditions, etc. Against weaker opposition, there are two paths a team can take, if you believe that batting is your strength then bat first and post a huge total and then ensure that the weaker team is either bowled out or contained for a much lower score, or if bowling is your strength then bowl first and get the opposition out for a low score and then knock off the required runs quickly. Both ways, a healthy net run rate is ensured apart from the points for the win.

By being defensive and bowling first (when batting is clearly India's strength), Dhoni chose to give his bowlers protection by putting the onus on the batsmen to chase down whatever was conceded by the bowlers. However, Zaheer Khan had other ideas and his two wicket burst in the first couple of overs ensured that Ireland were never in danger of posting a large total. In fact they would have been bowled out for a much lower score, but the two front-line Indian spinners Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla did not take a single wicket between them, with Chawla being generous in conceding runs too. It was left to the gentle left-arm spin of Yuvraj Singh to derail the Irish and he ended up with a five wicket haul and in the end Ireland posted a very modest 208 at the end of their innings.

Sehwag started off India's chase in typical style by cracking a boundary off the first ball of the innings. He was looking to run away with the game when he got a leading edge and ballooned a simple return catch to end his innings. Gambhir was looking comfortable and had also started to do his typical walk down the pitch to fast bowlers when he played a very casual flick and ended up giving a simple catch to short fine leg. Tendulkar and Kohli too looked calm and composed when Tendulkar too got out and when Yuvraj ran Kohli out, India were in a spot of bother at about 100-4. Dhoni and Yuvraj settled down to getting singles and twos with the occasional boundary, but never seemed to be asserting themselves. It was left to Pathan to demonstrate that cricket is still a simple game of bat and ball and he gave the crowd something to cheer about after Dhoni had departed to a simple LBW decision. Pathan hit effortlessly and there is a real case for him to be promoted as a pinch hitter early in the chase rather than as a finisher down the order.

Yuvraj was adjudged man of the match for his five wickets and unbeaten fifty, however in my view, he is still to attain his fluency of old. One doesn't know what the problem is since he has been spending enough time at the crease (this is his second consecutive fifty), however he is not at all looking comfortable at the crease. Short balls continue to surprise him and he looks at his best only when he is able to free his arms and drive through the covers or do his hoick over mid-wicket. Yuvraj is occupying a key position in the Indian team and one hopes for his sake as well as that of the Indian team's that he rediscovers his touch at the earliest. He is able to retain his place right now because of the bonus of his bowling.

The Indian bowling continues to be unimpressive and the fielding is indifferent. I had said in my earlier posts that I would reserve judgement on Piyush Chawla and my fears have come true. It is time that he was 'rested' and Ashwin or Nehra tried in his place. My vote would go to Nehra, simply because he is a wicket taking bowler and has proven himself in big matches earlier. It would have been ideal to have a settled combination by now, however given the form of the bowlers one is likely to see changes in the bowling line-up in every match.


Watch out for my round up of the first two weeks of the World Cup in my next post ! I would appreciate your feedback using the Reactions buttons just below the end of the post. Thanks!