India take on mighty West Indies for place in final at Wankhede today

India will be aiming for a third final appearance in the ICC World Twenty20 when they take on an unpredictable West Indies in the high-voltage semi-final at Wankhede here on Thursday. Though the venue is memorable for M.S. Dhoni & Co.’s triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup, the jinx of losing a couple of semi-final clashes — against England in the 1987 Cup and against the West Indies in the 1989 Nehru Cup — remains unconquered.

After a disastrous start to the tournament, India picked themselves up against Pakistan, got lucky against Bangladesh before yet another Kohli masterclass against Australia took the hosts into the semis. Having won three games on the trot, the momentum is with India, while, on the other hand, the West Indies showed glimpses of their fragility when they went down to Afghanistan in the final league match.

In-form Kohli has scored 184 runs in four games with two half centuries in chase against Pakistan and Australia. The next leading scorer for India is Dhoni with 74 runs followed by Yuvraj Singh (52), who has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Local boy Ajinkya Rahane, all-rounder Pawan Negi and Manish Pandey, the new addition to the squad, are in contention to replace Yuvraj. For the first time in this tournament, Dhoni will have to make a change or two in the XI.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan haven’t performed as expected. Suresh Raina has also been quite ordinary. The trio have contributed just 129 runs in four games. India’s bowling has been mostly good and Dhoni’s smart captaincy has ensured their inconsistency at times doesn’t affect the results. Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja and part-time bowler Raina have economy of below six. R. Ashwin has to bring out his A game to the fore.

The duel between the off-spinner and the destructive Chris Gayle is expected to be a mouthwatering showdown. Ashwin has dismissed Gayle four times in their nine previous meetings in T20s. Going by the previous face-offs, Ashwin should have an edge over the big Jamaican, who scored an unbeaten 100 in 47 balls against England in the first game at this venue as the West Indies chased down a daunting total of 182. Lendl Simmons who plays for Mumbai Indians may get his first game in place of injured Andre Fletcher.