ICC World T20 2016, India vs West Indies: 6 players to watch out for

 

India take on West Indies in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, hoping to make it to the ICC World T20 final for the second tournament running. Standing in their way is Darren Sammy's Windies, who, despite losing in their previous game against Afghanistan have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

While West Indies' journey to the semi-final has been relatively straightforward after three wins to the start the tournament, India have had a much tougher task, after losing to New Zealand in the opening game of the tournament. Although they managed to win their last three group games and secure their semi-final berth it was anything but easy.

So let us take a look at the players who will be key to deciding the outcome of this match. Here are six players to watch out for:

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin’s battle with Gayle will be key

Coming into the tournament on the back of an interesting couple of months, Ravichandran Ashwin has had a stop-start tournament much like Chris Gayle, against whom he will pit his wits in the semi-final. More often than not, MS Dhoni has decided against bowling Ashwin his full quota of overs and that has adversely affected the number of wickets that he has taken.

Batsmen have already taken a lot fewer risks against him and decided to play him out without giving him a wicket and that has been a concern. But when it matters most, the off-spinner has always delivered, whether it is in the IPL under Dhoni's stewardship or for India. And if he gets Chris Gayle out early on Thursday and helps India reach another final, not many will talk about his lack of wickets or effectiveness in this tournament.