IND vs WI: How India-West Indies clashes are decided in T20 Internationals

After 33 gruelling encounters in the ICC World T20, which started with seven Asian teams, hosts India are the only one from their continent still standing. With a near-perfect campaign propelling them into the semi-finals, the Men in Blue now face an uphill task against a rampant West Indies who'll be raring to go at the Wankhede stadium on 31 March.

Also read: Pre-match jitters engulf Twitter ahead of Ind vs WI tie

The rivalry between the two cricket powerhouses at the World Cups dates back to 1983, when a Kapil Dev-led India overpowered the mighty West Indies to clinch their first-ever ICC trophy in front of a mindboggling crowd at the iconic Lord's ground in England.

However, in a format like T20 where a single run-out, a boundary or even a heated altercation can change the course of the match, none of those things would matter. The shortest version of the game has witnessed four clashes between India and West Indies where both teams have won two games respectively.

As far as World T20s are concerned, Windies have an upper-hand with two victories in three matches against Team India. But, at a wicket like Wankhede, it could come down to the all-important toss which might end up deciding the finalists against England.

Given the previous results, the team batting second has emerged victorious in three of the four T20 Internationals played at Wankhede. Meanwhile, West Indies have chased in all four matches they have played in the tournament so far while India have batted second in all their games except the one against Bangladesh.

As the two cricket giants get ready to lock horns in the star-studded ICC World T20 semi-final, here's a look at what decides India-West Indies T20 matches:

India win every time when

Photo: Getty Images

They score over 45 runs in powerplay: In the two T20Is India have won against West Indies, the Men in Blue have scored over 45 runs in the powerplay overs. During the 2011 T20I, Team India amassed 46 runs at the loss of one wicket and ended up clinching a 16-run win against West Indies. Also, in the 2014 World T20 clash against the Caribbean giants, India scored 48 runs at the loss of one wicket during the powerplay overs.

Virat Kohli bats at no. 3: The Indian team has benefitted from the batting exploits of Virat Kohli on numerous occasions. But, in T20Is against West Indies, Team India has emerged victorious twice when the Delhi lad has batted at his preferred no. 3 slot. Kohli had also slammed a 41-ball 54 during the 2014 World T20 where India defeated the Windies by seven wickets.

Samuel Badree concedes 4 boundaries in his first three overs: West Indies might boast Samuel Badree's form ahead of the crucial semi-final, but whenever the leg-spinner has conceded over four boundaries in his first three overs, India have emerged victorious. During India's seven-wicket win over the Windies in 2014 World T20 clash, Badree struck in the first over of India's innings to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan. However, the leg-spinner was whipped for a four and six by Kohli in his second over. In his third over, Rohit Sharma also slammed consecutive fours off the West Indies spinner.

West Indies win every time when

AFP Photo

Chris Gayle hits at least four fours: West Indies usually thrive on the explosive batting of Chris Gayle at the top. But, most importantly, their two wins in T20Is against India have witnessed Gayle scoring at least four fours in the match. The Jamaican marauder, who scored 22 runs, smashed four fours during his side's seven-wicket win over India in the 2009 World T20 clash. Gayle was at it again in 2010, scoring 66-ball 98 including five fours and seven sixes against India in his team's 14-run win in the World T20 match.

India loses two or more wickets in powerplay: The Calypso Kings have thoroughly exploited India's poor starts in T20Is. The 2009 World T20 clash between the two teams saw India losing three wickets of Rohit Sharma (5), Suresh Raina (5) and Gautam Gambhir (14) for just 29 runs in 4.2 overs. Their 2010 World T20 tie against India also witnessed a similar pattern as Dhoni's side lost two wickets of Murali Vijay (7) and Gautam Gambhir (15) for 27 runs in 4.4 overs. West Indies won both the matches comprehensively.

Rohit Sharma is dismissed under 5 runs: Team India's swashbuckling opener Rohit Sharma might not have fared well in the tournament so far, but his team usually finds comfort in his batting might in limited-overs cricket. His wicket will surely be crucial for the West Indies whose success against India in the shortest version has come on the back of Sharma's early dismissal. In the two T20Is West Indies have won against India, Sharma was dismissed early in the innings for the scores of 5 & 5.

Squads

Photo: Twitter/BCCI

India: MS Dhoni (c/wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Pawan Negi, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammed Shami.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor.