Bengaluru, March 5: As India prepare to take on Ireland on Sunday in a scintillating Group B encounter, both captains face the problem of plenty. Leading one of the best batting line-ups in the world today, MS Dhoni is looking forward to taking on Ireland, no longer regarded as minnows. Riding high on their morale-boosting win against England chasing a 300 plus score, the Irish are all set to go themselves.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke about Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, two flamboyant yet solid batsmen, eager to make their preferred batting slots their own. On the eve of the match against Ireland MSD said, “What is good for the side is everybody scoring runs. I said [in the past] it’s more about the battle of slots the reason being Yuvraj [Singh] loves batting at No. 4. And Virat [Kohli] recently has batted really well irrespective of whether he goes in at the end of the fifth over or close to the twentieth over. [This is] because he is one player who can bat well against spinners as well as the fast bowlers. His strength is getting in, playing a few deliveries and carrying his innings through. So if he is forced to bat down the order at No. 5, 6 or 7, he cannot really perform to potential.”
He went on to explain that the batting order is primarily a function of the situation of the game. “At times there are demands of the game where you may need to accelerate - you may need to promote Yuvraj Singh at No. 4 and Yusuf [Pathan] at No. 5. So it’s a tricky situation where a lot depends on how the game progresses and I think it will be a fight for the slots,” he believed.
Irish captain William Porterfield seems to be afflicted with similar ‘problems’. Talking about his team’s fitness and preparations ahead of the big game he said, “Unfortunately Andre [Botha] picked up a bit of a groin niggle a bit before the game. We will have to wait and see what happens here. [Alex] Cusack came in and Gary Wilson as well – [we have an] extra batter. I think it’s because we’ve got so many options with the ball.”
“We have got Kevin O’Brien who didn’t bowl an over [in the previous game][…] Alex Cusack was able to bowl a few. I think we’ve got plenty of options there with the ball. You’re going to have to chase plus of three [hundred] on this [track] as you have seen in the last couple of games. So you need that kind of depth in the [batting line-up] as well,” he said.
Talking about the Indian team’s fitness Dhoni replied, “As far as fitness is concerned, after servicing and overhauling all the cars are ready for the race. So unless there is an electrical failure at night, all cars will be available for selection.”
If the two captains’ spirits are anything to go by, there’s one heady contest that awaits fans at the Chinnaswamy on Sunday.
