A look ahead at India’s Journey in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

A look ahead at India’s Journey in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: India has fired at all cylinders in the World Cup thus far and their performance on the field has been second to none in every department of the game. The much criticized bowling line-up has been at its very best, batsmen have put up decent totals on board or chased down handsomely whenever they have been asked to do so and the agility that the fielders have shown on field is unparallel. Skipper MS Dhoni could not have asked for anything better from his team but instead of relishing the previous triumphs time has come to gear up for the business end of the tournament as the knockout stage will commence in 10 days time so let’s find out what the journey is going to be like for the Indian team in the most pertinent stage of the tournament.

Quarter Final:

Bangladesh’s superb victory against England or put it this way England’s dismal performance means India will have a considerably easy match against Bangladesh in Quarter Final, this will happen only if India manages to defeat any one of their opponent between Ireland and Zimbabwe which they ideally should that will mean that they will finish at top in their pool and will play their Quarter Final at MCG against another Asian team, Bangladesh.

India will enjoy playing at MCG as more than 75,000 Indian fans packed the MCG to raptures in the preliminary encounter against the South Africa and same amount of support would be expected in the knock-out match against Bangladesh as well, so it would be more of a home game for the Indian team which they will be mighty confident of walking over without much ado.

Semi-Final:

If India manages to pass the Quarter Final hurdle then they are most likely to face the daunting challenge of the mighty Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in the semi finals, it will be one heck of a Semi final and the Indian team will look to replicate their 2011 Quarter Final performance against Australia whereas on the contrary Kangaroos will have revenge on their mind.

However there is another mouthwatering possibility if somehow Pakistan (3rd in Pool B) manages to upset Australia in the quarters’ then we are in for a rematch of the 2011 Semi Final between India and Pakistan. For this dream clash to come true firstly Pakistan has to defeat Ireland to ensure their place in the Quarter Final of the World Cup 2015.

Final:

Though making a call for the final at this moment is a bit of an overstatement, as knock-outs are unpredictable and more than the previous performances, the game on the day determines the outcome. Despite all that considering the permutations and combinations of the defending champion surpassing the Semi final obstacle then the Indian team will have to take a flight back to Melbourne from Sydney for the ultimate match of the Tournament. Considering the brand of cricket New Zealand has played in the tournament so far, they are most likely to be the opponents of men in blue for the final. However one can never write off teams like South Africa and Sri Lanka who will also be in the same draw.

India’s possible fixtures:   

Quarter Final – India Vs Bangladesh – MCG (19^th March)

Semi Final – India Vs Australia / Pakistan – SCG (26^th March)

Final- India Vs New Zealand/ Sri Lanka/ South Africa – MCG (29^th March)