Story bySahil MalhotraWed, March 4, 2026 at 8:30 AM UTC·6 min readTimesofIndia. com in Mumbai: West Indies were going along nicely at the halfway mark of their virtual quarter-final clash against India at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. At 82/1, West Indies had a set batter in Roston Chase, an in-form Shimron Hetmyer at the other end, and plenty of firepower waiting their turn in the dugout. While some fielding lapses prevented India from adding to the wickets column, they managed to keep a close grip on proceedings with a tactical masterclass. Both Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy had bowled only one over each, and Axar Patel had bowled three when the two right-handed openers were still at the crease. Captain Suryakumar Yadav brought the left-arm spinner into the attack early due to the better matchup, and Varun Chakravarthy's delayed entry gave the spinner a better chance to take wickets against the fiery middle order that followed. The hosts controlled most of the innings not just through how they managed the overs, but also by paying attention to favourable matchups. From Bumrah's introduction against Hetmyer to the angled plan for Sherfane Rutherford, India were a step ahead with their planning and have only gotten better with every game in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup.