A remarkable all-round display from Virat Kohli was not enough to prevent West Indies booking a place in Sunday’s ICC World Twenty20 final against England at the expense of hosts India.
Kohli took advantage of a huge slice of luck when he should have been run-out on one to score 89 from 47 deliveries in an imposing total of 192 for two.
The 27-year-old then took a wicket with the first ball of his part-time medium pace, but could not prevent Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell powering the Windies over the line with seven wickets and two balls to spare.
On a Wankhede Stadium surface where England had chased 230 against South Africa earlier in the tournament, India simply did not score quickly enough despite losing only two wickets.
They were still clear favourites when the dangerous Chris Gayle was bowled for five, but a half-century from opening partner Johnson Charles laid a solid platform which Simmons – who was not included in the original 15-man West Indies squad – built on with 83 from 51 balls before the destructive Russell completed the task.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his fourth toss in five tournament matches as India were put in first, but the skipper could at least take heart from Rohit Sharma returning to form with 43 from 31 balls – a thumping six over long on off Carlos Brathwaite’s first ball the highlight.
Sharma was eventually trapped lbw by Samuel Badree, and Kohli should have followed in Dwayne Bravo’s next over when wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin narrowly missed a straightforward run out and Bravo also failed to hit the stumps with the batsman still short of his ground.
Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli turned lots of ones into twos during a stand of 66, but a lack of boundaries meant they failed to bat the West Indies out of the contest.
Rahane skied Russell to Bravo at deep midwicket for 40 as he tried to up the rate, having hit only two boundaries in his 35-ball knock.
Kohli received a third life as Brathwaite missed a catch at long-on off Bravo, and Dhoni added a quick 15 off nine balls at the death.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled Gayle with a full toss as swing accounted for the left-hander and Marlon Samuels added just eight before chipping the impressive Ashish Nehra to Rahane.
Simmons whacked Jadeja down the ground for six to start the Windies recovery, but like Kohli received his share of good fortune.
He hit Ravichandran Ashwin to Bumrah at point off a no-ball on 18, and was then caught at cover by Ashwin off an illegitimate Hardik Pandya delivery, from which the subsequent free hit was dispatched for six.
Charles launched Ashwin into the crowd over midwicket, chopped Pandya over point for six then pulled four more behind square en route to his fifty.
Kohli’s first ball lured Charles down the track but he launched the medium-pacer down the ground to Sharma for 52.
Russell thrashed Pandya for four past mid-off and two balls later for a huge six over midwicket, before the all-rounder muscled Nehra over midwicket for another maximum to leave 32 needed from three overs.
Bumrah bowled three dot balls in a row at start of 18th over, but Simmons got another let-off as Ravindra Jadeja trod on the rope while passing a relay catch back to Kohli.
Simmons then finished the over with a four to third man, and although Jadeja conceded just two runs from the next four balls Russell smashed a huge six down the ground and a four through the covers.
Kohli was preferred to Ashwin for the final over, but even he could not prevent Russell hitting a four and then a six into the leg-side to set up a rematch with England, who the Windies beat by six wickets in their opening match of the tournament.
Source: ECB