1 Thing No One Talks About

India faces West Indies in the final match of the T20 Cricket World Cup Super Eights stage on Sunday, in a win-or-go-home showdown at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, a game that will determine who takes the last open spot in the semifinals, which get underway on Wednesday.

The match will be the 30th all-time in the T20 format between India and West Indies, with India leading the series 19-10 and one no-result.

But none of that matters on Sunday, when all each team must do is win. If India takes the victory, they keep their hopes of repeating as champions alive after taking home the trophy in 2024. A win by West Indies sets up a shot at the Windies’ first title in the tournament since 2016. Both teams are aiming for their third T20 World Cup trophy.

In the nine times the T20 World Cup has been held before this year, India, West Indies and England have won six of them. Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka have taken one each.

There is obviously everything at stake for both India and West Indies, which thanks to Pakistan’s elimination in Saturday’s contest against co-host Sri Lanka, as well as West Indies’ crushing loss to South Africa and India’s romp past Zimbabwe, is set up as a virtual quarterfinal knockout match.

But there is one factor that has been discussed only rarely coming into the match — but it will very likely turn out to be the thing that decides who advances and who goes home empty-handed.

What is the One Factor That Could Decide India vs. West Indies?

Much of the discussion leading up to the match has centered around India’s batting lineup, and where Tilak Varma will bat after his dramatic 44 for 16 out of the No. 6 slot in India’s decisive 72-run win over Zimbabwe on Thursday.

But the simple reality is that the India vs. West Indies match is likely to come down to raw power. The game features the two most prolific six-hitting teams in the history of the T20 World Cup.

West Indies comes into the match having already set a tournament record with 66 hits going for the full six runs.

That total breaks the Windies’ own record of 63 set just two years ago, in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

But India has now tied the West Indies’ now-broken record, entering Sunday’s match already with 63 sixes.

Whichever Team Hits the Most Sixes Will Likely Win

The online betting site Bet365 has set the over-under on the total number of sixes to be hit in the match at 18.5.

That seems like a pretty good bet, especially considering that West Indies has very deliberately constructed its lineups around six-hitting for more than a decade. Of the top 11 six-hitting teams in T20 World Cup history, the Windies hold four of those spots.

While swinging for the boundaries carries an element of risk, leading at times to an excess amount of wickets taken via the catch, West Indies seems to have it down to a science. The pitch at Eden Gardens on Sunday is expected to be highly favorable for run-scoring.

That means, despite the fact that India enters the match as the favorite to win and advance, the Men in Blue will need to keep up with West Indies’ pace of blasting sixes or they could find themselves overwhelmed quickly as the runs pile up.

On the other hand, their 63 sixes already say they are more than capable of turning the India vs. West Indies match into a slugfest, and winning it.

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