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Pandey with potential to fill Yuvraj's shoes

Having struck a superb century against Australia this summer, Manish Pandey shapes as an influential inclusion for India

India will look to replace one match-winner with another after losing Yuvraj Singh through an ankle injury ahead of Thursday's World Twenty20 semi-final against the West Indies.

Yuvraj twisted his left ankle during India's victory against Australia in the last group match and Manish Pandey has been brought in as cover for the clash between the two former champions.

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"It will have an impact, he's had his moments," India team director Ravi Shastri said about Yuvraj's absence.

Australia got off to a blistering start by hammering 54 off just 26 balls before Yuvraj pegged them back with his left-arm spin and chipped in with 1-19 off three tidy overs. He sustained the injury while batting before he was dismissed for 21.

Pandey, 26, scored an unbeaten hundred in an ODI at the SCG against Australia in his last start for his country, and despite having played just two T20Is, looms as another potential match-winner in India's batting order.

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In addition to his maiden ODI hundred in January, the right-hander has shown his class with the bat in the Indian Premier League, most notably hammering six sixes in a match-winning 94 (50) for Kolkata against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 final.

It is expected that either Pandey, or fellow batsman Ajinkya Rahane will come out to India's XI for the semi-final.

To date in this tournament, Virat Kohli has virtually single-handedly guided the 2007 champions to the semi-finals with two masterful half-centuries in victories against arch-rival Pakistan and Australia. Kohli was the leading scorer in the Super 10 stage with 184 runs from four matches including an unbeaten 82 against Australia and 55 against Pakistan.

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Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan along with Suresh Raina are yet to flourish with the bat and it's Kohli's individual brilliance that has twice rescued India.

"You can't depend on one or two players, you need six or seven players to step up to the plate," Shastri said. "It's not happened really in this tournament so far, let's hope (tonight) is the start."

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India stumbled early in the tournament when New Zealand bowled them out for only 79 on a turning wicket at Nagpur.

The hosts then recovered from a dire situation to score a miracle one-run win over Bangladesh to keep their tournament alive.

"We have played to 70 per cent to our ability in this tournament, so there's still 30 per cent of areas where we can improve," Shastri said.

"Let's hope it happens tomorrow because in a semi-final you've got to get your A game."