West Indies stun India, go to final

West Indies stunned India by seven wickets and advanced to the final of ICC WT20 2016 on April 3 where they’ll face England for their second title.

The 80 run unbeaten stand between Simmons and Russell took West Indies home. Simmons was not out at 83. He faced 51 balls and struck seven fours and five huge sixes in his match winning knock.

Andre Russell provided the fireworks late in the innings with 43 runs from 20 balls. Russell smashed some crucial boundaries when the game went down to the wire. His cameo contained three fours and four sixes.

Nearly all the Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners tonight. Nehra, Bumrah and Kohli picked up a wicket each.

The 97-run partnership for the 2nd wicket followed by the unbeaten 80 stand broke India’s back at the Wankhede under the lights.

Virat Kohli gave India a timely breakthrough in the 14th over, and stopped the West Indian second wicket stand at 97 between Charles and Simmons.

Charles went back, played a flat-batted pull of sorts, lofted it straight to Rohit, who ran in from long off to break the stand. Incredible.!Very ordinary ball, but clearly the force is with Kohli tonight.

Charles contributed immensely to his team’s cause tonight, and made 52 from 36 with seven fours and two sixes to his name.

The third wicket stand of West Indies produced 84 runs before the 12th over with Charles blazing away. He reached his fifty in 30 balls and smashed seven fours and two sixes along the way.

Although the required run-rate was over 11, West Indies still had some bighitters in the dug-out for the late assault when needed.

Lendl Simmons was giving Charles good company, batted positively  and kept the score board moving at a decent pace.

India got their second breakthrough in the third over, and rattled West Indies under the lights at Mumbai.

Nehra’s slower ball was too good for Samuels, and the West Indian batter could only offer a catch to Rahane running in from cover.

Samuels only managed to score eight runs before he was sent back to the pavilion.

West Indies were rattled early in their mammoth chase, and lost the key wicket of Gayle in the second over.

A low full toss from Bumrah angling across the left-hander from over the wicket, swinging back in a touch, Gayle played across the line and played all around it.

The ball crashed into the base of off stump and Bumrah wheeled away in ecstatic celebration as the Wankhede roared…Gayle falls for only five.

A perfect start for India.

Earlier, India posted 192 for 2 after 20 overs on the back of Virat Kohli’s second highest T20I score against West Indies in the2nd semi-final of ICC WT20 2016 at Mumbai.

Kohli was unbeaten on 89. He faced 47 balls in his electrifying knock and treated the Wankhede crowd to 11 sumptuous fours and a delightful six. With Dhoni, Kohli pushed India to a massive total with 64 runs in 4.3 overs.

For West Indies, Russell and Badree picked up a wicket each.

West Indies allrounder Andre Russell gave his side a timely breakthrough in the 16 th over and ended India’s second wicket stand at 66.

Rahane was Russell’s first victim after he scored 40 from 25 balls with two hits across the fence.

India fought back with earnest through their second wicket partnership between Rahane and Kohli and keep the West Indies bowlers at bay with intelligent batting.

Kohli made most of the missed run-out chance by Bravo, and scored some spanking boundaries in his innings.

Rahane was quietly doing his bit to keep the scoreboard moving along at a rapid pace, and ran between the wickets really well with his partner.

West Indies spinner Badree gave his team their first breakthrough in the 8th over, and stopped the Indian opening stand that was threatening to take the match away.

Rohit Sharma was trapped after a quick-fire 43. The ball gripped and turned, and would have knocked back middle and leg…easy call for the umpire.

Indian opener faced 31 balls in his cameo and smoked three fours and three sixes during his stay at the wicket.

West Indies bowlers saw the ball disappear into the Wankhede stands several times to the delight of the home crowd with India opener Rohit Sharma in full swing.

Sharma was in a deadly mood, and murdered anything full or slightly short of length with his blade. He entertained India fans with three fours and three awesome sixes before he reached fifty.

West Indies bowlers found the Wankhede pitch tailor-made for a batting show, and the ball was coming nicely onto to the bat.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy decided to field first given the conditions at Mumbai against India led by Ms Dhoni in the 2nd semi-final of ICC WT20 2016 in India.

India's has been to simply extend their Test and one-day game into the Twenty20s arena, and when all goes well, they get the bulk of their runs through orthodox cricket.

West Indies, ideally, wouldn't want their long-format form anywhere near them right now. Helpfully, this format has a tight cap on the number of overs so the big-hitters can keep hitting big without worrying about consequences.

Dhoni: "We were looking to bowl first as well. There maybe dew later on but you can put the opposition under pressure with a big score. We haven't quite been at our best. That gives you the hope that once we start firing on all cylinders, it will be difficult for others to match us.”

“This is one wicket that has something for everyone. Not the biggest boundaries and you can freely play your shots. As far as the atmosphere is concerned, it's hard to go beyond the Wankhede stadium." Indian skipper added.

Sammy: "We are going to bowl first. As I have said from the beginning, we came here for a mission. It's going to be a tough game today but one that we are prepared for. Gayle comes in for Lewis. Simmons comes in for Fletcher.”

“There is the belief in the team that we came here to win. We came here to win and before the tournament we said that we have to beat India at home. After India, probably the second favourite team would be us. So it's okay playing India at home. We are ready for the challenge." West Indies captain said.

Both teams clearly have lots of cream at the top, but the middle looks a bit squishy. It's been over two years since Denesh Ramdin or Suresh Raina have hit a T20 fifty.

Dwayne Bravo, at No. 5, has looked unsure whether he needs to be the aggressor or the anchor. Yuvraj Singh has been similarly jittery, but an ankle injury ruled him out of the World T20.

This is the first time West Indies are playing India in a T20I in India. In head-to-head T20Is, both teams have won two matches apiece.
West Indies have chased in all their four matches in this World T20 while India have done the chasing thrice in four games.

Chris Gayle needs two more sixes to become the first player to hit 100 sixes in T20Is.
His 98 against India in the 2010 World T20 in Bridgetown is the highest score by a captain in World T20s.

West Indies

Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin(w), Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn

India

Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah

The official coin of ICC World T20 2016 at India used for the toss. Photo: ICC