India aim to reframe unfamiliar pressure as privilege

India's nets session on Saturday was a beehive of activity at Eden Gardens. Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma took on pace in adjacent nets, while Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav and Morne Morkel huddled near the match pitch with measuring tapes and cones to discuss lengths.

Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav also sweated it out in a two-hour session. This was notable as an optional session with higher attendance than usual.

India typically hold intense practice two days before a game, with light optional sessions on the eve. The tight turnaround after the Zimbabwe match meant Friday was spent traveling, making Saturday evening their first chance to assess conditions.

Sunday presents a curious scenario. By the time India take the field, three semifinalists will already be confirmed. That India might not be among them seemed unthinkable before the tournament began.

Yet they now find themselves fighting to stay alive. India rarely play knockouts before the knockouts, especially in tournaments where they're expected to reach the final. The pressure feels unfamiliar.

"I don't think you ever want to mask pressure. You want to go towards pressure," said India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. "All our preparation has been about going towards pressure when it comes. More than masking it, you want to reframe it. We're continually telling the guys what a privilege it is to play for your country, what a privilege it is to walk out at Eden Gardens and play a match to stay in the tournament."

Since the last T20 World Cup, India have won eight bilateral series without needing final fixtures. They were unbeaten in last year's Asia Cup, showing they understand knockout cricket. But their World Cup campaign took a sharp turn after the defeat to South Africa.

"The team is very well prepared. These are professionals who live for these moments," ten Doeschate said. "It was a quick turnaround from the disappointment of South Africa. The guys regrouped really well in Chennai. We've had our team meeting and are fine-tuning to get used to the surface."

West Indies bring familiar World Cup patterns – impressive against most sides but halted by South Africa. They're brimming with six-hitting prowess, having hit 66 sixes (the most in this World Cup) and bat incredibly deep.

"I don't think there's many lineups that can boast of Romario Shepherd walking in at number nine," ten Doeschate noted. "But that's a feature of all successful teams now. You have to focus on taking wickets. The old-school way of just containing in T20 cricket has gone out. West Indies play a risk-reward game of high proportion. As a bowling unit, we're looking forward to that challenge."

Early surface assessment suggests it could be dry and high-scoring, suiting both sides comfortable on true pitches. India may look to borrow South Africa's template of squeezing West Indies' expansive batting.

"Our plan tomorrow will be to attack the whole 20 overs and peg them back, much like South Africa did," ten Doeschate said. "The surface looks pretty good, so it could be high-scoring. As well as throwing punches with the ball, we must be brave with the bat, maintain high strike rate and intent. We'll fight fire with fire."