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India bank on spin to blunt West Indies

Mumbai: The second World Twenty20 semi-final is likely to hinge on who emerges on top in the battle between the big-hitting West Indian batsmen and India's wily spinners when the former champions clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

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India, the world's top-ranked side in the shortest format, arrived at the sixth edition of the tournament with 10 wins from 11 matches in 2016 and were considered overwhelming favourites by fans, opposing captains and bookmakers alike.

But while an opening Super 10 stage defeat to New Zealand, who reached the semi-finals unbeaten, was a wake-up call, the home side's credentials came into question in a one-run win over Bangladesh, who lost three wickets in the last three balls.

Virat Kohli's wide blade was then called on to see off a stiff challenge from 50-over world champions Australia in a winner-takes-all contest to reach the last four, his masterclass glossing over some major batting flaws for the 2007 champions.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have failed to build a solid foundation for the hosts and their opening stands of five, 14, 42 and 23 have put pressure on the middle and lower order to provide a bulk of the scoring.

Left-hander Suresh Raina's scores of one, zero, 30 and 10 have not been overly helpful either, and calls for the number four batsman's omission from the team have only gained momentum.

Yuvraj Singh's ankle injury in the win over Australia could open the door for Ajinkya Rahane to play at his home ground in Mumbai but the right-hander may be a little rusty, having not been involved in an international match for more than a month.

"You can't rely on one batsman, yes the others have contributed, but still at the same time, if we can do a bit more with the bat at the top of the order and the middle overs, I think we will feel the pressure slightly less," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said after the Australia triumph.



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