Related Links

By BV Swagath, June 22, 2007

India's tour of the United Kingdom gets started on this Saturday when they meet Ireland in a One off ODI at Belfast. A strong batting line up of India will be facing an Irish surprise under what could be swing and seam friendly conditions. Ireland which had shockingly defeated Pakistan in the World Cup is all geared up to perform on the big stage, the reason for calling this as a big stage is that this will be the first time an Irish Sporting event will be viewed by billions of viewers on their TV Sets. Unfortunately the Ireland team is clearly under strength for this match and also the other ODI they play against South Africa the very next day. Some of the key players are missing in its line up!

This ODI on Saturday will be a good opportunity for the Indians to try out Rohit Sharma, the middle order sensation from Mumbai. India might go in with Piyush Chawla instead of Ramesh Powar and go in with the three seamers. Zaheer Khan might be rested for this match against the minnows, but it is sure that he is going to lead the attack in the 3-match series against South Africa that begins from the 26th. Complacency is something Rahul Dravid's team just can't afford. They will take into consideration that Ireland on their day are a dangerous side. During the World Cup, the Irish bowlers used bowler-friendly conditions to great effect to bowl out Pakistan for a cheap total. The Indian batsmen will have to guard against playing any loose cricket especially when the ball is new and is doing something in the air and off the wicket. If they bat first, then the mission will be to bat sensibly early on and then bat the opposition out of the game. One thing is certain that Ireland possesses some dangerous talent that can cause an upset. Having said that, it is time for the upcoming players in the Indian team to come to the party and win the match with the seniors warming up the bench for this not so tough game. 

This Only ODI will be the first ever match to be played between Ireland and India. This happens to be just the second One Day International that is going to be played in Ireland. The hosts will be missing the services of their star batsman Jeremey Bray, the big left hander who struck a century against Zimbabwe in the tied encounter at Kingston. Another batsman Eoin Morgan has decided to quit Irish cricket to try an force himself into the England National Side. Also missing the two matches will be swing bowlers Boyd Rankin and David Langford-Smith along with the steady off spinner Andre Botha . The good news for Ireland is that they will be having their best cricketer Niall O'Brien, their wicket keeper batsman. Supporting him will be the big hitting Captain Trent Johnston and Kevin O'Brien. The Ireland team is currently coached by former West Indian Cricketer Phil Simmons, who not so long ago was the coach of the Zimbabwean team. The ODIs against India and South Africa isn't the only cricket for Ireland, they will be involved in a four-nation ODI series that begins next month which also includes West Indies.

Ireland Team : Trent Johnston (Captain), William Porterfield, Kenny Carroll, Niall O'Brien (Wicket Keeper), Alex Cusack, Thinus Fourie, Dominick Joyce, Gary Kidd, Kyle McCallan, Kevin O' Brien, Roger Whelan, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Indian Team : Rahul Dravid (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper, Vice-Captain), Dinesh Karthik (Wicket Keeper), Piyush Chawla, Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh

Top of the Page