John Kenny
BBC Test Match Special

"Ireland will have to bat extremely well and it is good they won the toss because it gives them have half a chance. The feeling was that the India batting order was so powerful they might run away with it. But Ireland have been remarkable in this World Cup so far."

John Kenny
BBC Test Match Special

"We have been trying to second-guess Ireland head coach Phil Simmons all the way through this tournament but he's beaten us every time. I haven't seen much of Stuart Thompson myself - let's see how he goes against the world champions."

Ireland have made plenty of friends during this World Cup. Here is John Mooney with one of them.

Image source, ©INPHO/Barry Chambers

You can also follow all the action from this match on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, where Test Match Special has just got under way. You can find that on your radio machine or via the audio link at the top of this page.

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Ireland have done some magnificent things in this World Cup so far, not least of all that superb, dramatic victory over Zimbabwe in their previous match. But this is their biggest challenge to date. India are reigning champions, unbeaten so far and are overwhelming favourites to make it five out of five today.

However, not only is Ireland's spirit strong but they have some talented performers, and India showed some weaknesses with the bat against West Indies in their last game before MS Dhoni steered them home. Could the impossible happen?

The weather forecast at Hamilton is good, with temperatures of 25C expected after a couple of days of indifferent weather.

Ireland skipper William Porterfield is not banking on the weather doing his side any favours against MS Dhoni's world champions.

"There's been a bit of rain around the last couple of days, but we will see what it is like and whether that will be a factor or not," he said.

616 runs were scored in the South Africa-Zimbabwe game at Seddon Park on 15 February, and curator Karl Johnson says he expects the wicket to be another good batting track.

"We were instructed by the ICC to prepare good batting tracks with negligible seam movement and less turn," Johnson said,

Image source, Getty Images

"So far the ICC has been happy with how the pitch has played."

India's MS Dhoni: "We were looking to bowl first and it gives us the opportunity to chase a score. We are playing with the same side and want to go on as we have been doing. We want to keep a settled team."

India are unchanged for this game. Ireland make one change with spinner Andy McBrine missing out and 23-year-old Stuart Thompson coming in. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer with seven ODIs under his belt.

Ireland take on already-qualified India at Seddon Park, Hamilton knowing that a win, or even a point from a rain-abandoned match, would be enough to see them through to the quarter-finals.

Ireland have three wins from four, beating the West Indies, the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe and losing only to South Africa so far in Pool B.

India are already through to the knockout stages following wins over Pakistan, South Africa, the UAE and the West Indies.

Image source, Getty Images

Morning all. Welcome back to the Cricket World Cup, which for many of you will have a much more hollow ring to it than 24 hours ago.

We could fill the next 10 hours of this text commentary ranting about the shambles that has been England's embarrassing campaign. But we won't. Instead we'll be focussing on a true World Cup success story, a team on the verge of an unlikely spot in the last eight, who have shown their more prominent neighbours how this 50-over lark is meant to be done: Ireland.