West Indies players Jason Holder and Sherfane Rutherford during a practice session ahead of the T20 World Cup match against India in Kolkata, on February 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak
In 2016, Daren Sammy was the West Indies captain, who seized the ICC World T20 at the Eden Gardens. Striding into the same venue but with a role-shift as coach, Sammy said, “Well, I have never seen history repeat itself.”
Elaborating further on Sunday’s (March 1, 2026) Super Eight game against India, Sammy said, “To win this tournament, you have to go through India at some point. We are going to play a good game in order to come out victorious. It will still feel like a David and Goliath showdown, but in 2016, David did defeat Goliath, so that’s what I will tell my boys. All my soldiers are ready for battle.”
Even as the Windies lost to South Africa in Ahmedabad, Sammy felt that the match also revealed the batting depth that his team had, and then added, “South Africa has shown that India is beatable, but you have some extremely good power hitters. Varun (Chakaravarthy) is the number one bowler in T20 cricket. We respect every opposition.”
And about Shimron Hetmeyer, Sammy explained, “This is the most relaxed I have seen him in the dressing room. The responsibility he has battled with, has given us a boost.”
Published – February 28, 2026 11:01 pm IST
