Spotlight on batsmen in big game

India have a couple of problems to sort out as they take on a confident West Indies in the knockout tie

Technically speaking, India will be playing their first knockout game on Thursday but they have been in this situation from their second game onwards against Pakistan following their crushing defeat to New Zealand in their Group 2 opener.

India had to beat each of their opponents to reach the World T20 semifinal which will be played here at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Be it against Pakistan or Bangladesh or Australia, they had to fight their way out of trouble on each of those occasions. While their progress to the last four has been anything but convincing, the experience of being on the precipice every time they set their feet on the field should hold MS Dhoni’s men in good stead.

On the other hand, West Indies, the team standing between India and a shot at the title, sailed smoothly into the semifinal after notching up three straight wins over England, South Africa and defending champions Sri Lanka. The confidence they would have gained after these wins can’t be overstated but their unexpected loss to minnows Afghanistan exposed their vulnerability as well.

While on a good Wankhede strip, the Caribbeans overwhelmed England in a big chase with Chris Gayle notching up an unbeaten ton, when faced with quality spin bowling they have struggled to force pace. They barely managed to overhaul South Africa’s 122 and Afghanistan humbled them by six runs after managing just 123. While it ought to be noted that both these matches were played in Nagpur, notorious for its slow turners, India’s spinners can be handy even on good pitches.

India’s attack has been consistently doing well for the last three months or so but the manner in which it pulled things back against Australia on a decent batting surface would have only enhanced its morale. Though Mumbai has witnessed some high-scoring matches -- West Indies made short work of England’s 182 while England chased down South Africa’s 229 – there is certain mystery over Thursday’s square. The centre wicket prepared for the semifinal will be used for the first time in this tournament and it remains to be seen which way it turns (pun intended).

That said, India will be wary of their batting that has largely revolved around one batsman in this event. The Indian batsmen’s reputation as acknowledged masters of spin has slowly eroded over the last few years and their four World T20 matches so far have only lent credence to that belief. Should conditions favour them, leggie Samuel Badree and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn are capable of spoiling India’s party.

Virat Kohli has provided both substance and solidity to their batting but the home team will be hoping their other star batsmen join the party in a big game. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will be under pressure to perform as would be Suresh Raina. For the first time in the tournament, India will be forced to change their playing combination as Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out after failing to recover completely from his ankle injury.

Yuvraj’s replacement in the squad, Manish Pandey, is a strong contender to take his place in the side but the team management will have a lot of explaining to do for leaving out Ajinkya Rahane, who was picked ahead of the Karnataka batsman in the original squad. Pawan Negi, too, stands an outside chance to get the nod as he provides the left-arm spin option along with his big-hitting ability lower down the order.

Talking of spin, it will be a fascinating contest between Gayle and Ashwin. The Indian off-spinner has had a fair amount of success against the West Indian in the past and who wins the battle between the two may well decide the course of this match. India do understand the importance of getting Gayle out early but West Indies’ batting is anything but one-man army. On their day, any of their top-order batsmen can win a match on their own.