India vs WI T20 WC clash a virtual knockout for semi-final, says Walsh

West Indies bowling icon Courtney Walsh shares his excitement for the T20 World Cup virtual knockout between India and West Indies in Kolkata. The winner will secure a semi-final spot against England at Wankhede Stadium on March 5.

Ahead of his side's T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against South Africa, Zimbabwe bowling consultant Courtney Walsh, a West Indies bowling icon, expressed his excitement for the virtual knockout clash between India and West Indies in Kolkata that will take place right after this cracking contest between two African teams at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.

India will take on the West Indies at Kolkata's Eden Gardens for the spot of second semifinalist from group one in the Super Eight. With South Africa having earned their spot already, the winner of this clash will get to play England in the second semifinal taking place at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on March 5.

A Rematch of an Iconic Semifinal

The clash is a repeat of an iconic semifinal between both sides during the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup at Wankhede, where, despite Virat Kohli's scintillating 89* in 47 balls, WI chased down 193 set by Men in Blue with quickfire fifties from Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons and a power-packed 20-ball 43* from star all-rounder Andre Russell, giving Team India one of its biggest cricketing heartbreaks. Now, 10 years later, these two teams, playing a fiery brand of cricket, will go on a six-hitting contest, with both sides having ferocious hitters. On one side are stars like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube etc and on the other side are Shimron Hetmyer, skipper Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and others. In this tournament, WI has hit 66 maximums, the most by a team in a single T20 WC.

'Team That Bowls Better Will Win': Walsh

Speaking on Saturday during his side's pre-match presser, Walsh, the leading wicket-taker for WI across all formats, with 746 scalps taken from 1984-2001, said, "It is going to be a very exciting game. I do not know what the conditions might be like in Kolkata, obviously, that as a part to play. But I think the teams that bowl better will come out winning this game because both teams are very strong batting, good batting, quality batting. So I think the team that executes better with the ball will have the best chance of winning this game."

Squads

Squads: India Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Johnson Charles, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Quentin Sampson. (ANI)

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