India Vs Ireland: Showdown at Seddon Park

ICC 2015 World Cup

The Men in Blue are on song as they say. Winning five matches on a trot is a surreal feeling for any Indian fan and the reasons are many. The Indian cricket team for long have had a checkered record. At times they are invincible, on the other day they perform worse than the minnows. To sum it they have been highly inconsistent, having said that, the most vaunted batting line up has come good in this year’s show piece with good support from the bowlers who used to be howlers not long ago. They have been peaking at the right time as if the good performance was reserved for this international event. Their latest prey was the Irish team whom they defeated convincingly at Seddon Park in Hamilton on 10th March 2015. This was a foregone conclusion for many Indian fans looking at the Irish side. If the Men in blue had echoed the same sentiments as their fans, they would have done so at their own peril. The Irish team is no pushover, having improved immensely over the years. They have the reputation of being giant slayers and many a good teams have faced the brunt of their ability and self-belief. Ask England to confirm. Against the rampaging Indian side the Irish had little chance.
 

India Vs Ireland

Ravenous "Men in Blue" Gulp the Guinness

The Odyssey of the Men in Blue down under is bearing fruit. Having spent close to four months in the Oz, the Indians took to Australia like a fish takes to the water. Having being at the receiving end at the hands of the Aussies in the past few months, the Indians have bounced back with a vengeance when it mattered the most. One by one they have outplayed the opponents in all departments and are strong contenders to retain the world cup. Playing against the Irish in the green locales of Seddon Park in Hamilton, they could manage to restrict the Irish to a modest total of 259. At one stage it looked like the Irish would score more than 300 runs and exert pressure on the famed battling line up, but the bowlers did the trick for their captain. The bowling performance of the Indians is getting a lot of praise from many a veterans and well-wishers. The bowlers were under severe criticism before the start of the tourney and no one expected them to come good. It won’t be an understatement to say Indian bowling so far has been a revelation. A target of 259 was never going to be a headache for the Indian batsmen wielding their sledgehammers. Shikhar Dhawan continued his purple patch scoring his second century. He was aptly supported by another dasher in Rohit Sharma. With a blistering start, Indian win was just a formality. The combination of Fire (Virat Kohli) & Ice (Ajinkya Rahane) gave the finishing touches to see India through. It would be unfair to prefix the Irish with the Minnows tag. They are a much improved side and on a given day they can torment the best. In days and months to come they would be rated at par with the other great cricketing nations. Personally speaking I have a soft corner for the Irish, having interacted with many of them for years and having visited Dublin. Also the Irish flag resembles our very own tri-color.



Indians defeat the Irish

The Mistry Man

Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry is a name to reckon in Ireland and a godsend for the Irish cricket. It is known that Mr. Mistry has provided the necessary infrastructure for the Irish cricket and he takes great interest to see cricket in Ireland grow from strength to strength. This gesture of his is an act of giving back to the land where he resides. He would like to see the Irish cricket blossom and be a force in the cricketing world. The Irish players are all praise for this Mistry man. If you don’t know, Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry is a giant in real estate business and one of the richest individuals in the world. His son Cyrus Mistry is the chairman of the Tata group of companies. Cricket is not a popular sport in Ireland and is followed by a few after football and hurling. The latter being very popular sports in Ireland. My Irish friends are now getting used to the cricketing jamboree and are taking keen interest in the sport that originated in the land of their rulers. Many of the Irish players are not professional cricketers and they play the game during their past time, a scene which is changing fast and for good. Thanks to people like Shapoorji Mistry for providing the required fillip to the sport in Ireland. The Irish team should take a lot of pride in the way they are playing, and with one more win they would cement their place in the quarter finals alongside the favorites.  For now let’s rejoice the team India win. Men in Blue Way to Go…..

 

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