India’s departure from their dressing room seems thoughtful. There is a sense of urgency as they step onto the ground and settle into their rhythm at the Eden Gardens, just 24 hours before their virtual knockout against the West Indies. A team spread across five networks in Kolkata focuses on individual processes.
After their warm-up, Axar Patel nonchalantly shoots Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar. Ishan Kishan lines up with Mohammed Siraj while Abhishek Sharma plays over the net bowler. The other two – Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy – are placed far, train alone, perfect your skills in isolation. Bumrah had an intense training session ahead of the Windies clash. (Photo: PTI)
The Indian team was rocked by a personal loss a day earlier, when Rinku Singh’s father died in Greater Noida after a battle with liver cancer IV. Rinku, who is often the heart of the team wherever he goes, flew to Aligarh to perform the last rites of Khandchand Singh.
When such a character leaves the group, the air becomes heavy. Even the usually jovial Arshdeep Singh trains alone. He is stationed along the boundary line and receives catching coaching from T Dilip, the fielding coach of the Indian team.
But maybe it’s not time to deal with that. That’s the nature of professional sports. He is ruthless on and off the field. So the Indian team looked switched on throughout the session, in stark contrast to the West Indies who had been training at the venue earlier.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke to the press and provided an insight into Indian thought.
“I think the important thing is to focus on yourself, focus on what got this group here, how well they did. And now there are only quality players left in the tournament,” he said at Saturday’s pre-match press conference. India will need Abhishek to find his form again in this crucial must-win Super 8 clash. (PTI photo)
(India will take on West Indies in the World Cup T20 Super 8 match at Kolkata at 19:00 IST. The match will be telecast on Star Sports and streamed live on JioHotstar.)
The former Kolkata Knight Riders player, who has spent a lot of time at the venue, showed West Indies full respect, fully aware of what they are capable of at this stage of the tournament.
In 2016, West Indies knocked out hosts India from the T20 World Cup in the semi-final encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In a high-scoring match, Daren Sammy’s Windies chased down 193 with two balls to spare. India do not have many fond memories of World Cup clashes with the West Indies. (Photo by Reuters)
Only two members of this Indian side remain in this team – Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya – and ten Doeschate have called for them to arrive in India on Sunday.
“It’s about the big players stepping up, the experienced players stepping up and just staying calm and staying true to how we played before this game,” said Doeschate.
India’s training session indicated that not much will change in the knockout clash. They are likely to go with the same line-up that defeated Zimbabwe in the previous match. India’s batting has finally worked in the tournament and the management is unlikely to tinker with this combination.
The match at the Eden is expected to be a batting shootout between the two attacking sides, with curator Sujan Mukherjee saying it will be a batting-friendly pitch.
If that is the case, West Indies could be a dangerous outfit, especially given that they have already played two matches at the venue and know the conditions better than the Indian team.
In this context, West Indies’ lighter training makes sense. Perhaps Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd just needed time to adjust to the pace of the field – the rest could flow naturally on Sunday. Windies training took a much lighter mood at Eden. (PTI photo)
Windies are expected to consider Roston Chase against India, given India’s apparent problems with spin.
Eden is a small ground where the margins are slim and familiarity could prove to be a key weapon on Sunday. Whoever evaluates the conditions better will have a better chance to dominate this virtual quarter-final. Hetmyer will be one of the big threats for India in this clash. (Photo: PTI)
KOLKATA: RANGE AND CONDITIONS
Kolkata has been baking under the scorching sun for the past few days. It’s late spring in the city, which means dew is expected Sunday night. Will the pitch at Eden play a big part in the IND vs WI do-or-die clash? (PTI photo)
The pitch looked slightly dry, with some grass on top. A total of 220 looked possible in the evening game.
IND vs WI: TEAM NEWS
West Indies are expected to struggle with their team combination. The main decision revolves around Roston Chase and Akeal Hosein. Chase presents the more favorable matchup, but Hosein is arguably the more consistent bowler of the two.
Also, Shamar Joseph is yet to find his rhythm in the T20I format and playing a bowler who is still looking for control in Eden can be risky.
Shamar’s only appearance in the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens came in 2024 when he bowled a messy 10-ball opening and struggled to control seam and swing. He conceded 47 runs in his four overs that day.
In the case of India, as mentioned earlier, there is no indication that any changes are imminent.
IND vs WI: PREDICTED PLAYING XI
India Probable XI: Sanju Samson (week), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
West Indies Probable XI: Brandon King, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie
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– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
01 March 2026 08:51 IST
