Dhawan cracks ton as India continues turnaround
Print Edition
INDIA’S remarkable turnaround at the Cricket World Cup continued yesterday with a fifth straight win ensuring the defending champion will top its pool heading into the quarterfinals.
India beat Ireland by eight wickets to remain unbeaten, a dramatic change after it entered the World Cup without a win in a competitive match in the previous two months on Australian soil, spanning four test matches and a limited-overs tri-series against Australia and England.
“We have been here for over four months, we had to sacrifice somewhere,” India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. “I knew it (form) would be back when the World Cup started.”
Shikhar Dhawan scored 100 and Rohit Sharma hit 64 in a 174-run opening stand as India reached 260-2, chasing down Ireland’s 259 with 13.1 overs remaining in Hamilton.
India will stay atop Pool B regardless of the outcome of its last group match against Zimbabwe. Ireland must now beat Pakistan in the last match of the pool round at Adelaide on Sunday, or at least take a point from that game, to have any chance of progressing.
India achieved its win with the kind of efficiency which has marked its progress through the tournament. After Bill Porterfield made 67 and Niall O’Brien scored a run-a-ball 75 to give Ireland hope of a competitive total, India took seven wickets for 53 runs. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami had the best return of 3-41, and spinner Ravi Ashwin took 2-38.
Ireland’s total was also the highest score by any team against India in Pool B. India has in common with Pool A leader New Zealand the fact it has bowled out its opponents in all five of its matches: Pakistan for 224, South Africa for 177, United Arab Emirates for 102, and the West Indies for 182.
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