To wish away the three-wicket victory last Wednesday as a freak one-off, triggered by an innings of rare brilliance that Kevin O’Brien will be hard pressed to repeat, is fraught with danger. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team, under some pressure after less than impressive performances in the last two matches, will not make the mistake of taking the Irish lightly.
For all the wealth of batting riches at their disposal, India have punched much below their weight collectively, both during the 87-run over Bangladesh in the World Cup opener and during that unbelievable tie at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last Sunday. They have lacked cunning and penetration with the ball, and in the field, they have casually gifted away runs. Their shabby outcricket has been masked somewhat by the mountain of runs the batsmen have piled up, but with the business end of the tournament fast approaching, it’s time India cleaned up their act.
After Ireland, India’s next game is against the Netherlands, in New Delhi on Wednesday. On paper, the two associates are the weakest links in the otherwise competitive Group B; the mid-league skirmishes against this duo is in some ways a godsend, because without taking anything for granted, India can utilise the opportunity to fire as the unit they require if to be if they desire to go all the way to the final in Mumbai on April 2.
As India grapple with what bowling combination to put out, they aren’t unaware that much of what they do with the ball will be a direct reflection of the start Zaheer Khan provides. Munaf Patel has been impressive in patches, but so dependent is the team on the left-arm paceman’s early strikes that otherwise, they tend to get disspirited fairly quickly. It will help matters if Ashish Nehra regains full fitness, because his experience is a fallback option the team so desperately requires.
The confidence in the Irish ranks courtesy the highest successful chase in World Cup history is palpable. Once again, like they did against England, they will approach Sunday with nothing to lose and a giant to fell; their complete lack of fear and the relative lack of expectations will make them doubly dangerous. India must be on their toes, wary of the banana skin that proved England’s undoing.