India vs West Indies ICC World T20 2014 Group 2 Preview Upbeat Indians face defending champions.Dhaka: West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul believes smart usage of the conditions will be key to their success in defending the ICC World Twenty20 title."The key is knowing the conditions, the kind of wickets you're going to bowl on and the right variations you're going to execute on the wicket. That will be the main thing,"
"The conditions here are basically the same. The dew factor at night maybe a little different to what we are accustomed to but variation of the ball and execution will be key."India shouldn’t make any changes to their side as it was a team-effort that won them the game. Looking at the conditions at Mirpur, one would say that India would continue to back their strategy to play three spinners. Amit Mishra was a star in the previous game and will hold on to his spot. Ravichandran Ashwin will also play a crucial role and he would want to get amongst the wickets. India are lucky to have Ravindra Jadeja as he bats at No 7 and is very effective with his left-arm spin. That allows them to play the three spinners.
At the top, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will continue to hold fort. Dhawan may be targeted by the opposition as he hasn’t been in very good touch, although he did score 30 against Pakistan. West Indies would do well to use Sunil Narine to trouble him with spin early. Even their fast bowlers can try and rattle him with short stuff.
Virat Kohli is the fulcrum of the batting line-up and would hold it together at No 3. The great thing for India is that Suresh Raina has also found form. The only concern maybe Yuvraj Singh, who would be desperate to get some runs under the belt. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami will continue to be India’s fast bowlers.The good thing about our team is that we don’t rely on any one player. We have at least four, five, six potential match winners in our side.”
Suresh Raina, meanwhile, stated that India will not be cowed down by the West Indian spin duo of Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree. They will be handled carefully, he said. “Pakistan had Ajmal and West Indies have Sunil Narine. In a short format like this, you have to plan every two overs as to whom to attack and whom not to. You will have to rotate between overs seven and 11, and if you can hit a loose ball for a four or a six, that’s the ideal plan against spinners.”India’s own spinners will be key against West Indies, Raina felt. “West Indies is a totally different team. They have a lot of players who are capable of hitting sixes but they are not adept at rotating the strike,” he said.
When this was put to Sammy, he responded calmly. “Raina is free to think what he wants; we don’t care much,” he said. “If he thinks we are only six hitters, then stop us from hitting sixes.”
India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Ajinkya Rahane.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Andre Fletcher, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree, Krishmar Santokie, Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Sheldon Cottrell.
