The City of Joy is mourning the loss of one of its favourite writers, Sankar. Add to it the earthquake that struck the metropolis on Friday. Even if there were no casualties, the worry was real. Within this theatre, the Men in Blue hope to provide cheer as they take on the West Indies at the historic Eden Gardens here on Sunday night.
The ICC T20 World Cup’s Super Eight Group 1 fixture is a virtual knockout as the winner would sail into the semifinals. Decades ago, a limited overs clash between India and the West Indies would often swing the latter’s way even if Kapil’s Devils won the 1983 World Cup after defeating Clive Lloyd’s men.
Cut to the present, India has a domineering aura, and after the defeat against South Africa, found its moorings in the game involving Zimbabwe. The playing eleven may be identical to the one at Chennai. With openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma laying a base against Zimbabwe, a factor that went missing in the earlier outings, India wants an encore from the men atop the batting tree.
With Ishan Kishan stepping in at three and captain Suryakumar in at four, the alternating right-left combinations can test rival attacks. It was a pattern that stretched further down with Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma bolstering the middle order. The bowling, meanwhile, has largely been on mark even if the odd blip like Shivam Dube’s meltdown happened.
The defending champion would be still wary of the West Indies. The men from the Caribbean played twice here during this championship and got past Scotland and Italy. The calypso lovers would also draw heart from history. In the 2016 final at Eden, Carlos Brathwaite hit Ben Stokes for four sixes in the final over, and Ian Bishop went ecstatic in the commentary box.
Among the current lot, batters like Shimron Hetmyer and captain Shai Hope can soar. The exposure to the Indian Premier League has also helped many in the rival outfit to be clued into the local conditions. Head-to-head, India has won 19 and lost 10 against the West Indies.
As the tournament enters its final stretch, the host would want to extend its winning run. This historic eastern urban sprawl had made foreigners like Dominique Lapierre and Steve Waugh feel comfortable here; India, though, wouldn’t want the West Indians to feel at home. The stakes are too high.
– K. C. Vijaya Kumar
