Shikhar Dhawan Shines, India Cruise Against Ireland and More from Day 25
India maintained their unbeaten run at the 2015 Cricket World Cup on Tuesday, cruising past Ireland by eight wickets in Hamilton to record their fifth straight victory of the tournament.
Set 260 to chase by Ireland, a blistering 174-run opening partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma propelled MS Dhoni's side to yet another emphatic win with ease.
Compiling a rapid century, Dhawan was the star of the day, thumping 11 fours and five sixes to finish with 100 from 85 deliveries—his second century of the World Cup and an innings that elevated him into second place on the tournament's run-scoring charts behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.
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Once Dhawan and Sharma had been removed, Virat Kohli (44 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 not out) guided India home with more than 13 overs to spare.
Earlier in the day, strong contributions with the bat from William Porterfield (67), Paul Stirling (42) and Niall O'Brien (75) had pushed Ireland into a good position at 206 for three inside 40 overs.
But a late flurry of wickets saw the Irish collapse, losing seven for 53 in 10 overs to fall to 259 all out—a target that was never going to push India's powerful batting lineup inside the small boundaries at Seddon Park.
India Flourishing with the Ball
India's phenomenal batting strength was always going to be the team's trump card at this World Cup, but rather surprisingly, the side's attack—which had looked vastly understrength throughout the Australian summer—has been equally impressive thus far.
In a World Cup that's featured three scores in excess of 400 and 20 others of 300 or more, India are yet to concede more than 259 in an innings at this tournament.
And though Ireland fared significantly better with the bat against Dhoni's men than Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies, India's ability to stifle the Irish after a strong start on Tuesday was indicative of a new-found strength with the ball.
Shot of the Day
Catch of the Day
Pool B
| India | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +2.157 |
| South Africa | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.462 |
| Pakistan | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.194 |
| Ireland | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1.014 |
| West Indies | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.511 |
| Zimbabwe | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.595 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.691 |
Reaction
"For #Ire to qualify: - #WI must lose to #UAE or match be abandoned Or - #Ire must beat #Pak or match be abandoned #CWC15 #UAEvWI #IrevPak
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) March 10, 2015"
Wednesday's Schedule
Wednesday at the Cricket World Cup sees action taking place in Pool A, where Scotland and Sri Lanka meet at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
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