India need to 'be brave with the bat' in West Indies showdown

India need to “be brave with the bat” in their winner-takes-all T20 World Cup showdown against the West Indies, said their assistant coach on Saturday.

India come into Sunday’s do-or-die Super Eights clash in Kolkata full of confidence after finally stringing together a consistent batting performance in piling up 256-4 against Zimbabwe.

Abhishek Sharma laid the platform with his first fifty of the tournament after a torrid time in the group phase where he had three ducks in a row.

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Sunday’s pitch at Eden Gardens looked good for batting.

And that could turn the match into a slugfest against a powerful West Indies line-up that has hit more sixes, 66, than any other side in the tournament.

India are next on the list with 63 and are striving to keep the defence of their 2024 crown alive.

The West Indies have not reached the semi-finals since lifting their second T20 World Cup a decade ago — in Kolkata.

“It’s certainly going to be a challenge,” ten Doeschate told reporters before India trained at Eden Gardens.

“The surface looks pretty good, so it could be a high-scoring game.

“You have to be brave with the bat to maintain a high strike rate and high intensity throughout.”

Both India and the West Indies lost to South Africa and beat Zimbabwe in Super Eights Group 1.

It means Sunday’s clash in front of around 68,000 partisan fans at Eden Gardens will be a straight shootout for a place in the semi-finals, with the losers going home.

Awaiting the winner should be a semi-final against England in Mumbai on Thursday.

The final is in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.