Victory against India in Hamilton this Tuesday (01:00 Irish time) would see Ireland qualify for the quarter-finals. Ahead of this intriguing fixture, only two days after the dramatic finale in Hobart, CricketEurope takes a look at the Indians, their key players, and Hamilton's Seddon Park.

India: form guide

Recent ODI form (most recent first): W W W W L L L W W W

In a word, ominous. So far in this World Cup, the Indians have thrashed Pakistan (76 runs), South Africa (130 runs), and the West Indies (4 wickets with more than ten overs remaining). All the big guns of the group, therefore, have been brushed aside, as well as the UAE (9 wickets). The three straight defeats in the recent tri-series against Australia and England have now been forgotten, ascribed to disinterest rather than deficiency. In many pundits' eyes, India are odds-on for a semi-final spot (with England or Bangladesh their likely quarter-final opponents).

Star men

There are a few… The Indians are the only nation to have three batsmen in the top ten of the ODI rankings. The first of them is Virat Kohli (#4), the crown prince of world batsmanship. Only 26, Kohli has already played 154 ODIs and has racked up 6451 runs at 52.02. He has 219 runs at 73 in the World Cup so far.

The spiritual heir to Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, is a violent left-handed opener who ranks at #7 in the world. His 137 against South Africa earlier in the group stage was an innings of class and, indeed, he is the Indians' leading run-scorer in the tournament with 233.

The captain, the inimitable and irrepressible MS Dhoni, is ranked at #10, which is his lowest position since 2008. With more than 8000 runs at an average of 52, Dhoni is the pre-eminent ‘finisher' of the modern one-day game. While he bats, the Indians are winning.

Elsewhere in the top twenty there is Suresh Raina (#20) and Rohit Sharma (#16), who already has two ODI double centuries to his name. This leaves Ajinkya Rahane (#38) as the odd man out in the Indians' top six, but he's not bad either.

The Indians are undoubtedly weaker in the bowling department, but they still have most bases covered. Mohammad Shami (#11, and 9-100 in the World Cup so far) and Umesh Yadav (#42) are both genuinely quick, while Mohit Sharma has taken useful wickets in the tournament up to now.

Much of the Indians' bowling plan, however, revolves around twenty overs of spin. First there is Ravichandran Ashwin (#16), the tall and wily off-spinner who has 9 wickets at 16 and at less than 4-an-over in the group stage so far. Second, there is Ravindra Jadeja (#18), the slow-left armer who was formerly #1 in the world and who also has three triple centuries in first-class cricket.

Head to head

Incredibly, given the volume of ODIs that the Indians play, they have only met the Irish twice in competition.

The first ODI between Ireland and India took place at Stormont in June 2007, during the weather-affected tri-series that also involved South Africa. Batting first, Ireland made only 193, Niall O'Brien top-scoring with 53. Chasing a reduced target of 171, India cruised home: Sourav Ganguly made 73* and Gautam Gambhir 80* as the visitors won by 9 wickets.

In the second meeting, at Bangalore in 2011, Porterfield and Niall O'Brien (again) took Ireland to the commanding position of 122-2 before Yuvraj Singh ran through the middle and lower orders to claim 5-31 and dismiss the Irish for 207. In reply, Trent Johnston and Dockrell both claimed a couple of victims as the Indians stumbled to 100-4, but 50* from Yuvraj saw the hosts home.

The ground

Hamilton's Seddon Park is known for its bucolic charm, but its pitches bear no resemblance to those found on village greens. It's one of the higher-scoring venues visited by the Irish so far, and here are the cold stats for the 13 ODIs held there since 2005:

69% of sides win the toss and field
64% of sides win batting second
Average score batting first: 277
Average runs per over (across both innings): 5.89
Average runs per wicket: 39.84

Predictions

Some have suggested that India may field a weakened side, given that qualification from Group B has been already secured. That might be wishful thinking, but even if some of their major players are rested, the Indians represent daunting opposition: they have a powerful batting line-up, two high-class spinners, and - in MS Dhoni - perhaps the most effective captain in ODI history. They should win, then, and perhaps with some comfort, but stranger things have happened.