As they prepare for an 80,000-person Eden crowd and the weight of 1.4 billion Indian supporters in the hopes that West Indies “dance the best,” their head coach Daren characterized the significance of their virtual quarterfinal matchup against India in the T20 World Cup in Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday as “massive, massive.”
“But I do understand what this game means. It’s a knockout. You win, you go through, you lose, and then you start thinking about all the what-ifs that could have happened. It will be a massive, massive, massive celebration for us to get through to the semifinals,” Sammy said in the pre-match media interaction on Saturday.
Asked if they have a celebration song, he said: “I’m not sure about any song, but we do have our rituals when we win. I still don’t know the words of the song, but I’m enjoying it.”
Sammy expressed his excitement about being present when the bell rings on Sunday at 7 p.m., hoping that the West Indies can advance to their first semifinals in ten years.
“We’ve not been there in 10 years, so that will be an achievement for the group. But it means that our mission is still possible. So, I can’t wait.”
Sammy had likened playing India to a David vs Goliath match prior to the tournament’s opening match against Scotland. The sentiment was repeated by him.
“I still think in order for you to win this tournament you have to go through India at some point. Tomorrow is that day for us and we’ve got to play a good game of cricket in order to come out victorious. I’m excited for the contest.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll have 80,000 here tomorrow and then another 1.4 billion supporting India. So it will still feel as a David and Goliath showdown, but like I said in 2016, David beat David Goliath. That’s what I’m going to tell my boys tomorrow.
“Of course, every time we come to Eden Gardens it brings back good memories. I love being here. But I can tell you all my soldiers, be ready for battle tomorrow when we call upon.”
The West Indies have dominated the competition, winning all of their group games and one more in the Super Eights. However, South Africa stopped that streak in their last game, falling to 83/7 before Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd put together an eighth-wicket partnership of 89 off 57 balls to help them reach 176/8.
Counting the positives, he said; “Leave South Africa in Ahmedabad, just like 2016 I remember, it was Afghanistan who beat us… I think we sent a stronger message about how deep our batting is.
“We left that game in Ahmedabad and our focus has been solely on what we have to do tomorrow against a strong Indian team. I could assure you I didn’t plan to be in 83 for 7. But every single batsman or player has a role in the team. I take confidence in us getting to that final score, which was 176/8.
“So, the roles don’t change. I would prefer better execution. And, again, tomorrow is not the same wicket as in Ahmedabad.”
The biggest obstacle to the West Indies’ chances of winning another championship is still India, which hasn’t changed in ten years. Even though it was in the semifinals at the Wankhede, they had to defeat the hosts, India, in Mumbai in 2016.
This time, the challenge has come in their final Super Eights match, which is essentially a knockout. The victors will play England in the semifinals on March 5 at the Wankhede.
Varun Chakravarthy is still the best bowler in T20 cricket, according to Sammy, even if he has given up runs in the last two games.
Against South Africa, Chakravarthy gave up 47 runs in his four overs as David Miller and Dewald Brevis launched a calculated attack. In India’s most recent Super Eights match, he too had trouble against underdogs Zimbabwe.
However, Sammy clarified that Chakravarthy’s status as the top bowler is unaffected by a few poor performances.
“Last time I checked, I think he was the number one bowler in the T20 cricket. We respect every opposition,” Sammy said.
“Do we have our plans against each bowler and vice versa, our bowlers versus their batsmen? Yes. We go up to a complete game. The team has quality, they got match winners, just like we do. And it’s a battle of who executes with bat and ball. I expect it to be an exciting game.
“And that’s what we’re focusing on. How we could get an advantage versus all the match-ups and play that run that is effective and bring us the victory tomorrow.”
For the two-time former champions, Shimron Hetmyer has been a revelation, loving his position at number three.
Attributing the change to his mindset and maturity, he said: “I think it’s his mindset. Without giving much away, I see he’s the most relaxed and focused I’ve seen him in the West Indies dressing room since I’ve been around.
“He’s enjoying the game. The responsibility he’s batted with, it’s given us a boost and sends a lot of positive, confident messages in the dressing room when he’s batting.
“So hopefully tomorrow he has another belter of an innings. But as we’ve shown throughout the tournament, we don’t really rely on one person. Hopefully that all-around game we’ve been searching for, it comes to life tomorrow,” he signed off.
