West Indies batsman Chris Gayle laughs during a training session in Perth yesterday, ahead of today's World Cup Pool B match against defending champions India. (AFP)

AFP/Perth

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is all set for the challenge of facing some of the biggest hitters in the game when his side play the West Indies in a World Cup clash in Perth today.
Defending champions India top Pool B, with three wins from as many games, but the third-placed West
Indies are also in the hunt for a quarter-final place with two wins from four matches.
The West Indies piled up 372 for two in their win over Zimbabwe, with dynamic left-handed opener Chris Gayle making 215, the highest individual World Cup score, and Marlon Samuels an unbeaten 133.
Gayle has long been regarded as one of the most powerful shot-makers in the game, but Ashwin said yesterday that aggressive batting was now commonplace in one-day cricket.
“It’s not just Chris Gayle, it’s any other batsman in world cricket. Anybody who attacks wants to put you off,” said Ashwin.
“I go strongly for getting the wicket of any batsman that I think is dangerous because I like it. I like to throw myself in the middle and try to see how much I can make an impact in that particular game.  
“Be it Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers anybody, I look to get them out in the middle.”
And Ashwin said he would not be changing his approach should he find himself bowling to Gayle.
“There are no particular plans. I mean, it’s pretty simple... It’s pretty much about boundaries and wickets, and you can restrict the hitting to
one side and see if you can get a wicket or two.”
Amidst all the blazing hitting of this World Cup, Ashwin has so far taken eight wickets at an impressively low average of 13.37 apiece.
“I’m pleased. It is quite heartening to get wickets,” added the 28-year-old. “It gives you a lot of confidence. But in terms of preparation for the game, it’s going to be the same.
“Because we prepare for every other team like we prepare for the big teams. It’s not going to be very different. We’re pretty confident about executing tomorrow.”
India have been in fine form so far this World Cup, with wins over Pakistan, South Africa and the UAE. But Ashwin warned they still had work to do if they were to qualify for the quarter-finals.
“I don’t think we’re there. There are three (group) games (left) and Ireland’s also played good cricket,” he said. “We’re pretty aware of what’s happening around us in the group. It’s very important that we take it one game at a time. We like to treat every game like it’s a knockout game.”
West Indies captain Jason Holder would naturally like to see Gayle punish India but as a bowler he too has suffered at de Villiers’ hand, bleeding 104 runs in his 10 overs in the 257-run defeat last week.
Like Ashwin, Holder too advocated forcing the swasbuckling batsmen into hitting to one side only.
“I think we have to limit batsmen’s scoring on one side. You know, you have to just in a sense narrow down your options just to one or two things and try not to cater to too many things,” Holder said.
“I think the more we actually spend pondering on the actual field and fielding restrictions, it makes life a little more difficult in a sense.”  

FACTBOX: INDIA vs WEST INDIES (MATCH STARTS 9.30AM)
* This will be the eighth World Cup meeting between these two sides. West Indies need to win this encounter in order for the record to be even between them (India W4, L3).
*The two teams have met just once before in Perth with that game ending in a tie as both teams were bowled out for 126 back in 1991--it is also the only tied game between India and West Indies.
* Just two Indian players have an average over 50, Virat Kohli (52.17) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (51.41). They are two of just seven players from any nation to play 10+ innings to achieve the feat.
*Chris Gayle has hit 17 sixes in this tournament already; he needs to hit two more to overtake Matthew Hayden (18 in 2007) for most sixes in a World Cup.
*Gayle has hit 22 one-day international centuries so far—only four players from any nation have scored more.