Ireland captain Porterfield

Nottingham: The Irish have earned the reputation of giant-killers, but even if they add the prized scalp of India, at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, the result would have no bearing on the Super Eight-stage of the World T20.

Not that the Indians are going to take William Porterfield and his men lightly.

“If anybody thinks any team is easy, then he’s making the biggest mistake... In T20, you can’t take any team lightly... Ireland will be confident and there’s less pressure on them,” insisted captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

In his opinion, the difference between teams could be 20-16 or 20-17 (on a scale of 20) in Tests and ODIs, not so in T20. In the shortest form, both would more or less be on a par.

India and Ireland haven’t played each other in a T20 International, but in this age, few secrets are hidden. So, you don’t need to play each other to gauge strengths and weaknesses.

On paper, the Indians should take the Irish to the cleaners and, that, one assumes is Dhoni’s game plan. Momentum, after all, is very important. More so in the lead-up to the business end of a tournament.

Having upset Bangladesh on Monday, the Irish too are eyeing momentum. But, then, they’ve got to contend with the defending champions who’re hungry for more.

“You’ve got to perform at 80-90 per cent of potential, otherwise it gets tough... As a team, we don’t look too far ahead and aren’t caught up in the past either... We live in the present,” Dhoni pointed out.

The present, of course, seems quite heady for the Irish.

“We had a couple of drinks last night... We celebrated our success (over Bangladesh), but it’s a big game tomorrow... The pressure is on India, though, as they’re expected to win,” remarked Porterfield, who plays for Gloucestershire.

The last bit was a little cheeky.

For good measure, the Irish captain added: “We’re motivated enough... Playing against the champions, we don’t need more motivation... We’ll be looking to control the things we can... Hopefully, our performances in the World T20 are going to help in our quest for Test status...”

With Dhoni indicating that the strongest XI would be picked, chances are that the team which defeated Bangladesh on Saturday will be retained.

As for Ireland, a member of the team management told The Telegraph that the in-form Niall ’Brien’s right ankle injury wasn’t as serious as feared and that he should be available for selection.

“Our physio (Shane Jabbar) has been working with Niall... Fortunately, there’s no ligament damage, just a tendon strain,” the gentleman said.

Match starts: 10 pm (IST).