India vs Ireland Match Prediction: Who will win today's Women's T20 World Cup 2023 match?
With a spot in the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 on the line, Team India will face off against Ireland in Gqeberha on Monday, February 20.
India will enter this game on the back of a disappointing loss to England, who are currently at the top of the Group 2 table and have qualified for the knockouts. The Women in Blue did notch up wins over Pakistan and West Indies, though, and will be confident of securing two points and moving forward in the competition.
Ireland, on the other hand, are at the very bottom of Group 2 with no wins from three matches. Their hopes of making the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 are long gone. However, they will know the potential significance of a fighting performance against one of the best T20I sides in the world.
These two teams have faced each other only once in the shortest format before, and the game ended in a convincing 52-run win for the Women in Blue. In fact, it was the game that sealed India's passage into the semifinals of the 2018 Women's T20 World Cup, with five players from the side all set to feature once again.
While the Asian side will hope to jump over their final hurdle satisfactorily, Ireland will eye one last statement before the group stage of the tournament ends.
Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Team India eye semifinal berth against Ireland
India haven't been at their best so far in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023, but there's reason to believe that the machine is slowly becoming well-oiled.
Renuka Singh Thakur had only one scalp to her name ahead of the side's clash against England, but she finally joined in on the wicket-taking action with a superb five-fer. Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, made her first notable contribution of the tournament, although it ended at an inopportune time.
The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh have already made important contributions for India in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023. If Harmanpreet Kaur, who has looked rusty, can also join in on the fun, they will fancy their chances of making a deep run into the knockouts, where she is known to raise her game.
Ireland, on the other hand, are only in with an outside shot at upsetting their opponents on Monday.
Orla Prendergast (109) and Gaby Lewis (84) are the only batters to have scored more than 50 runs for the side in the competition so far. Additionally, only two bowlers have managed to average at least one wicket per game.
The signs point towards a straightforward victory for Harmanpreet and Co., who are comfortably the stronger side at the moment. Ireland are capable of pulling off an upset, but they'll need something special from their top order. That doesn't look likely with Renuka finding her bearings.
Prediction: India to beat Ireland in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023.