Kolkata, Mar 1 India won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in their Super Eights clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
The qualification equation became significantly simpler for the hosts after South Africa inflicted a heavy defeat on the West Indies earlier in the Super Eights stage. Before that result, India’s chances hinged not only on winning their remaining matches but also on securing emphatic margins of victory against Zimbabwe and the West Indies.
South Africa’s triumph altered the scenario, leaving India with a clear objective: win both remaining fixtures to ensure progression. The team responded in style, overcoming the first challenge with a dominant 72-run victory over Zimbabwe, effectively turning their final Super Eights clash against the Windies into a virtual quarter-final, with the winner of the clash securing a semi-final spot.
India carry a formidable T20I record into their clash at Eden Gardens, remaining unbeaten at the venue since 2016. Their only T20I defeat there came at the hands of England in 2011. Notably, India have won all four T20Is against the West Indies at the ground, including their most recent meeting in February 2022.
However, the West Indies also boast strong memories at the iconic Kolkata stadium. It was here that they defeated England to clinch their second T20 World Cup title in 2016, and they remain unbeaten at the venue in World Cup matches.
Winning the toss, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said, “We will bowl first tonight. Looks good. It has been a chasing ground, wicket gets even better so chasing is a good option. It's already wild and we will look to give a good show to the crowd. I think we ticked all the boxes last game. Same team.”
Meanwhile, Windies captain Shai Hope said, “We would have done the same (bowling). Playing consistent cricket is key for us. Most of the guys have been part of the IPL and hopefully we can come out on top today. It's a do or die game today. This is what we play for - to play against big teams, best teams. One change, Akeal Hosein comes in for Brandon King.”
Playing XIs
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah
West Indies: Shai Hope (c & wk), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Akeall Hosein, Shamar Joseph
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