In a virtual knockout, a fight of reputation and expectation

Kolkata stirs nostalgia and deja vu. Daren Sammy returns to the land of one of his biggest conquests—the 2016 T20 World Cup title—now as the wise sage of West Indies cricket.

Sammy set the tone ahead of the match: "It's going to feel like a David vs Goliath game. But then again, in 2016, David defeated Goliath, so that's what I am going to tell my boys tomorrow."

It's a smart narrative to fire up his players. However, the quality chasm between the two teams isn't as deep as suggested.

They are the two best six-hitting teams of the tournament (West Indies: 66, India: 63). Their batters have exploitable weaknesses—India against pace-off, West Indies against short balls—but both have shown they can win matches. India may believe in their bowling depth, but an upbeat West Indies will not concur.

Sunday's face-off is a fight to protect both reputations and expectations. West Indies, despite crises, are always seen as capable of bending this format to their will. India carry the triple burden of being defending champions, the best team of the last two years, and hosts.

When: India vs West Indies, 52nd Match, Super Eights Group 1, March 1, 7 PM IST
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

What to expect: A dry pitch with a bit of green left, according to Daren Sammy. This is the first 7 PM start at this venue in the World Cup, so past scores may not be indicative. Clear weather expected.

Rinku Singh is expected to rejoin the team but may not be rushed into the XI. India are likely to stick with their Chennai combination.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Against a team that has lost 19 wickets to finger spin (most among Super Eights teams), West Indies could pick all three of Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, and Akeal Hosein.

On Brandon King's fitness, Sammy said: "All my soldiers are fit and ready to go."

Probable XI: Brandon King, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde/Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph

Key Stats:

• West Indies have lost 67 wickets to wrist spin in T20Is since the last World Cup—the most by a Full Member side. Varun Chakaravarthy will be a threat.
• Only England (22) have lost more wickets to finger spin this World Cup than India's 19. West Indies' trio of Motie, Hosein, and Chase have 20 wickets between them.

Match-ups to watch:

• Sanju Samson vs Jason Holder: Balls: 52 | Runs: 57 | Dismissals: 4 | Avg: 14.25 | SR: 109.61
• Shimron Hetmyer vs Jasprit Bumrah: Balls: 21 | Runs: 15 | Dismissals: 5 | Avg: 3 | SR: 71.42

Quotes:

"I don't think there's many lineups that can boast Romario Shepherd walking in at number nine. But I think that's also a feature of all the teams in the tournament now… We have the luxury of someone like Axar, if he doesn't come in early, coming in at eight." — India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on batting depth.

"Leave South Africa [loss] in Ahmedabad, just like 2016… There's still positives we could have taken from the game… But yeah, we left that game in Ahmedabad, and our focus has been solely on what we have to do tomorrow." — West Indies head coach Daren Sammy on moving on from their only loss.