India bowlers need to up their game

West Indies lead the six-hitting charts and have already played at Eden Gardens in this World Cup

- Somshuvra Laha

In just over a day, two sides that have scored over 200 this week and hit the most sixes in this T20 World Cup will meet in a virtual knockout at Eden Gardens where clearing the boundaries has been relatively easy because of the smaller dimensions.

In that backdrop, the win against Zimbabwe doesn't look comprehensive enough with India conceding 11 sixes, seven wides and two no-balls, the spinners leaking 70 runs in eight overs while Shivam Dube gave away 46 in two. And Zimbabwe weren't even bowled out.

Such is the nature of this format that as long as bowlers contain runs, their wicket count doesn't matter much. Truth be told, India won Thursday's game not because their bowlers contained Zimbabwe, but because the target was nearly impossible to chase, even for a top-tier team. The fact that the same bowling lineup allowed South Africa to bounce back from 20/3 to score 187 also can't be lost on the think tank.