INDIA V IRELAND PREVIEW
Ground reality and Pitch
The Trent Bridge cricket ground is home to the Nottinghamshire County
Cricket Club. The stadium is considered to be one of the best grounds
in the world to watch a cricket match due to the excellent facilities
available here. Trent Bridge also features in Indian history with the
cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar passing the 11,000 mark in test
cricket at this ground. The pitch at Trent Bridge is tilted more in
favour of the batsmen with an even bounce on offer.
Temperatures: Min - 8 C Max - 15 C | Conditions: Showers expected
Team updates - India:
The sub-continent team has the batting prowess to erect a mountain of
runs or scale down any challenging total even in the absence of their
explosive opener Virender Sehwag, who has been injured. But their
bowling - both at start and at death - is a cause of concern as they
have conceded too many runs in the in the first six overs, with field
restrictions in place, and also proved uneconomic towards the close.
With a berth in the Super Eight Stage already in their pocket,
defending champions India will look to sort out their bowling woes when
they take on fellow qualifiers Ireland in the final Group A league
match in the World Twenty20 Championships at Trent Bridge.
Team updates - Ireland:
The Irish cricket team have been known for their surprises ever since
their stunning win against Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup at the
Caribbean. In a group that provided the team the best chance to qualify
to the next round, Ireland made good use of it, beating their fellow
minnow Bangladesh and making it to the super 8 stage. The O'Brien
brothers showed their skills with the bat against Bangladesh with a
combination of the hard hits and subtle strokes. Ireland would hope for
the brothers to fire again against a formidable Indian bowling line-up.
Although it is an inconsequential match, the Irish would have to play
their best cricket against a strong Indian outfit.
X Factor:
Bat - Rohit Sharma and the O'Briens:
Rohit Sharma displayed his class against the Bangladesh team and also
against Pakistan during India's warm-up clash with their arch rivals.
Looking in good touch, India would look at the youngster to fire in the
absence of Virender Sehwag. Meanwhile, Niall O'Brien and Kevin O'Brien
were in the league of their own during the Irish match against
Bangladesh. Their efforts with the bat led to the Bangladeshis being
shown the doors. Ireland would bank on the O'Brien brothers to fire
again and put up a good show going into the super 8's.
Ball - Pragyan Ojha and Trent Johnston:
The talened left-arm spinner made his mark with brilliant bowling for
Hyderabad during the IPL. He carried on his form with a career best of
4/21 on his T20 debut match against Bangladesh. He would play a pivotal
role for India during their super 8 campaigns. Trent Johnston looked
good with the ball against the Bangladeshis, picking up wickets for
Ireland up-front. He would play an important role with the ball for the
Irish team during their super 8 encounters.
Numbers game:
4: The number of sixers by Yuvraj Singh during India's first match
against Bangladesh. Only Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have scored
more sixers in the tournament than Yuvraj, having 6 sixers each in
their tally.
6.0: With figures of 4/21 against
Bangladesh, Pragyan Ojha holds the best bowling strike rate of 6.0 in
the current edition of the World T20.
Sound Bytes:
He is a good batsman - that I can say - but all of a sudden comparing
him to Yuvraj Singh, there is a big gap in the middle. We all know
Yuvraj has proved himself. He is one of the biggest hitters and hits
sixes quite consistently. He [O'Brien] is a talented cricketer but he
is well below Yuvraj when it comes to hitting big sixes in this format:
Indian captain MS Dhoni commenting on the hard-hitting Kevin O'Brien.
JAI HO !!!
Edited by stint - 14 years ago
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