The newly-included Stuart Thompson is brought into the attack and starts very nervously. He starts with a wide before Dhawan latches on to a short ball and pulls him over the rope at deep square leg for six and then pulls another ball straighter past mid-on for four. Two further wides follow, including one that is so far to Wilson's left that it beats the keeper's dive and runs away for five. Porterfield has some decisions to make now.

Kalika Mehta
BBC Sport in Hamilton

"Seddon Park is a small ground and as a relatively calm Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Jadeja sit at the boundary edge watching the on field proceedings a pocket of Indian fans, separated by just a small white-picket fence, scream in adulation at their heroes. Some of them look like they may burst from the excitement."

The floodgates are opening now. Dhawan takes the game to Ireland with successive boundaries off Cusack's first two balls, both from drives into the off side. With the requisite damage done, Dhawan then pats away the rest of the over with ease.

Image source, AP

Another catch goes down, again off Mooney. This time, though, it is the captain Will Porterfield, who claimed that match-winning catch against Zimbabwe, but cannot hold on to a chance at point offered to him by a slice from Dhawan. It required a dive and would have been a great snare, but goes down as a missed opportunity nonetheless. To compound Mooney's woe, Rohit ends the over with a drive through cover for four and a straight six over long-off.

As an indicator of the Irish openers lack of pace, keeper Wilson is standing up to Cusack. What he lacks in pace, though, Cusack makes up for in accuracy. His third over is a good one that goes for just one run. The Indian batsman remain unruffled.

Image source, Reuters

Mooney continues but he is struggling to find a consistent rhythm. The India openers are able to comfortably work the ball around for a couple of singles before Dhawan times a drive to send the ball flying skidding past the field and out to the extra cover boundary. All too easy for India.

Rohit has not been in the best form this tournament but he is a class act, which he proves with an on drive that sends the ball flying back past Cusack and down to the boundary. Beautiful shot. They are the only runs from the over.

Mooney goes all 70s tennis star on us by donning his lime headband. His first ball doesn't go top plan, though, as he drops shot and is dispatched to the mid-wicket boundary by a powerful pull from Dhawan. The headband is off after his final ball, possibly in disgust at him dropping a catch off his own bowling as Dhawan smashes it straight back at him. That would have been a huge boost for Ireland had it stuck.

Dhawan gets off the mark with a flick to work a straight Cusack delivery to leg. Then Rohit leans into an on-drive and works the ball away for a couple of runs. A calm start from India.

John Mooney is first up with the ball for Ireland from the Member's End. He is very wide in the crease in his final stride, which angles the ball into the right-handed Sharma and ties him up before a wide gives India their first run and a back-foot punch into off for four gets the batsman off the mark.

And we're back. The Irish players huddle together for some words of encouragement. They have 259 runs on the board. Will it be enough? Out come Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dahwan, who will give us our first indication...

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

"Ireland will be very disappointed having started so well. Two key batsmen got scores but didn't go on. The key point is that India bowled well, especially after the first 10 overs.

"The spinners got through their overs well and Ashwin showed his class with a bit of variation and then the pace bowlers came back in and got among the wickets to leave Ireland under pressure. You would expect India's big guns to come out now and knock the runs off."

Image source, Getty Images

India spinner Ravi Ashwin: "I thought they batted well at the start and we had to bowl well to get a couple of wickets and get back in the game. That is what happened. There is the odd ball that is stopping but the pitch is pretty flat.

"It was more about pace and that is something I made a conscious effort with to slow it down and bowl my arm ball. I knew they would come at me because of the restrictions but my plan was to keep them coming and to bowl well.

"All these ICC tournaments are about momentum and if we can round that off with a good batting display that will be good."

Ireland 259 all out from 49 overs (Ireland won toss)

Not out batsman: Mooney 12

Fall of wickets: 89-1 (Stirling 42), 92-2 (Joyce 2), 145-3 (Porterfield 67), 206-4 (Balbirnie 24), 208-5 (K O'Brien 1), 222-6 Wilson 6), 226-7 (N O'Brien 75), 227-8 (Thompson 2), 238-9 (Dockrell 6), 259-10 (Cusack 11)

Bowling figures: Yadav 4-0-34-1, Shami 9-0-41-3, Mohit Sharma 6-0-38-1 Jadeja 7-0-45-1, Ashwin 10-1-38-2, Raina 10-0-40-1, Rohit Sharma 3-0-21-0

Scorecard

Listen to Test Match Special commentary

Cusack slices a four through backward point off Shami's first ball but the bowler gets his revenge on the last as an attempted ramp shot plants the ball straight into the hands of Yadav at third man. It represents a disappointing end to what was a promising innings. You never know in cricket, but I would be amazed if that score is enough for victory here. India should walk it.

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

Highest totals by associate teams against India:

World Cup: 235 - Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells in 1983 and 235-7 Kenya at Bristol in 1999

All ODIs: 265-5 - Kenya at Gwalior in 1998

Ireland reach 250 as Cusack and Mooney pilfer a few singles from Mohit. The innings is ending in a whimper, when at one point it looked as though they could have been pushing towards and past 300. Credit to Dhoni and his side, who hit back hard to Ireland's impressive start.

Shami looks to wrap things up for India but the Ireland pair survive and add three to the total to take their team close to the 250 mark, which would represent a minor psychological victory if nothing else.

Karen Lynch: India peaking when it matters..tri series was just a practice to iron out any problems.