India vs West Indies: WI once again winning battle of sixes

Ind vs WI: West Indies will enter next year’s World Cup in Australia as defending champions, even if a current ranking (10th) does not properly reflect their ability of fulfilling one of T20 cricket’s most basic requirement—hitting sixes.

Power-hitting has been a natural recourse for West Indies batsmen in the shortest format. Two World Twenty20 trophies (2012 and 2016) in their cabinet are shining testaments to a proven style of playing power-packed cricket in the shortest format, something that also puts them second in the list of sixes hit (722), just behind New Zealand (733). West Indies will enter next year’s World Cup in Australia as defending champions, even if a current ranking (10th) does not properly reflect their ability of fulfilling one of T20 cricket’s most basic requirement—hitting sixes.

West Indies' Lendl Simmons, right, and Evin Lewis run between the wickets.(AP)

Unfazed by their current status in T20Is and an ordinary record against India—they have won only six out of 16 contests—West Indies have come out all guns blazing once again, dominating India in their backyard. West Indies have hit a total of 27 sixes in the first two matches of the ongoing T20 series, levelled 1-1, with India hitting 17. With 28 sixes in eight matches, Evin Lewis now holds the record of hitting most sixes against India in T20Is.

The flurry of sixes should send India’s bowling plans back to the drawing board. Among all the teams, India have conceded the most sixes (690 in 125 matches) in T20I history. New Zealand are second on the table, having conceded 677 sixes, followed by England at 654. Now that West Indies have scored in excess of 200 in the first game at Hyderabad and chased down 170 at the cost of two wickets in the second game at Thiruvananthapuram, India are staring at a serious problem here.

Lendl Simmons led a Caribbean counterattack that quashed any concerns over a sluggish wicket at the Greenfield Stadium on Sunday by smacking 12 sixes, compared to India’s five, helping them win only their second T20I win against India in India. West Indies’ victorious chase at Thiruvananthapuram was similar to their ICC World T20 2016 semi-final win against India at the Wankhede Stadium, where they had hit 11 sixes compared to India’s four. Virat Kohli (63-ball 89*, 11x4s, 1x6s) and MS Dhoni produced a masterclass on running between the wickets, powering India to 192. But West Indies overhauled it, thanks to Simmons’ 51-ball 82, studded with five sixes and seven fours.

West Indies have the overall edge in the area of hitting sixes against India, with 137 sixes compared to India’s 86. Comparatively, India have displayed better ground control, hitting 204 boundaries to West Indies’ 180. The hosts may possess a better record in bilateral affairs, but the trait of being hit for more sixes has been hurting time and again. At Fort Lauderhill in 2016, West Indies hit 21 sixes and 13 fours to score 245 as India, led by KL Rahul’s 84-ball 110 (12x4s, 5x6s), fell short by one run. The contest still holds the record of most fours and sixes hit in a match—35 and 32 respectively—in T20I history. Out of those, Indian batsmen hit 11 sixes and 22 fours.

Bowling woes

With the third and final T20I on Wednesday at Wankhede Stadium doubling up as series decider, West Indies will look to unleash their power game once again at a ground where they have beaten India in the only T20I played till date. Keeping aside the Nagpur T20I against Bangladesh—the only occasion this season where India dismissed their opponents—bowling has generally been a worry with several frontline players missing out on a crucial phase of buildup for the World Cup.

Jasprit Bumrah has missed all of India’s home matches across formats this season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has only returned in this series against West Indies. India’s average bowling performance against South Africa (1-1) and Bangladesh (2-1) prompted selectors to bring in Mohammed Shami, who otherwise would not be considered along with other Test bowlers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. With the everything at stake in Mumbai, India’s hopes hinge on a strategy that will not only prevent West Indies from launching another flurry of maximums but also win the series.