Team director Ravi Shastri came to address the media on the eve of the second semifinal match in Mumbai. He said that the team will miss Yuvraj Singh who was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury and Manish Pandey officially replaced him. “We will miss Yuvraj Singh,” the former Indian player and team director said.
Shastri also revealed the mantra behind India success in this format. According to the team director Shastri, “Our approach with every T20 game treated as a knockout.”
The former allrounder also talked about Virat Kohli the match winner of the virtual quarterfinal against Australia. Virat played one of the best innings while chasing a competitive score 161.
Asked what makes Virat Kohli to play with such a tremendous sincerity. Shastri said, “With Virat Kohli it was just a case of mind over matter. I had no doubt in his ability.”
Meanwhile, Chris Gayle gave a warning that he play hammer Indian bowler in the semifinal tomorrow. But, Shastri is not worried as he said, “bring it on.”
Talking about the adaptability to the T20 format Shastri said, India have a great chance in this tournament but this format will always cause a hiccup. “We have played only to 70% of our ability in this tournament.” He further said, “In this format you are bound to get a hiccup.”
If India beat West Indies then India will be the second team in the history of T20 to qualify for the final as a host after Sri Lanka in 2012.
In 2012, West Indies defeated Sri Lanka. India lost the final of 2014 World T20 final to Sri Lanka. So, this time, India have a great chance to qualify for the final and win it at the iconic Eden Gardens.