World Cup 2015: India On Course to Retain the World Cup, Says Ravi Shastri

Pumped up by a remarkable unbeaten streak, the Indian cricket team's Director Ravi Shastri today said the defending champions are well on course to lift the World Cup trophy for a second successive time.

India thrashed Ireland by eight wickets to record their ninth consecutive win in the World Cup overall and fifth on the trot in the current edition to top pool B. (Match Report)

"It's a good position to be in especially given that from now on, every game is a knockout. Once you start winning, you enjoy and feel relaxed, it's when you lose that you want to stay locked in the dressing room. Right now, the team is enjoying, they are playing football, they are a happy unit," Shastri said. (Dhoni Overtakes Ganguly)

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar echoed Shastri's views and credited the team's bowlers for raising their game at the big platform.

"The bowlers deserve all the credit. 50 wickets in five matches, it is a wonderful achievement. Lot of times, the batsmen tend to overshadow them and they don't get credit but it is nice to see the bowlers getting some credit," he said.

Talking about India's campaign, Shastri said said the side, which came into the tournament after a disastrous bilateral series against Australia, is quite confident of clinching the top honours.

"We were never here to fill in the numbers. We are not going to give any chances to any of our opponents and we are going to lift the trophy," he said.