T20 WC: Sammy recalls 2016 win ahead of 'David vs Goliath' India clash

West Indies coach Daren Sammy calls the T20 WC Super Eight clash against India a 'David and Goliath' battle. He warned 'history could repeat itself', referring to their 2016 semi-final win and said his team is ready for the challenge in Kolkata.

Ahead of his side's must-win T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against India at Kolkata, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said that the battle would be like the one between 'David and Goliath' against fan favourites Men in Blue at their own home turf, but warned that "history could repeat itself".

The memories of 2016 could come haunting back for the Indian side, while for the West Indies, they would truly want that the '2026 is the new 2016' trend actually turns into a reality for them. A decade back, during the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal against India in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium, the ferocious knocks of Lendl Simmons, Johnson Charles and Andre Russell managed to outshine the genius of Virat Kohli in his prime, chasing down 193. During the title clash against England, Carlos Braithwaite sent four Ben Stokes deliveries into the night skies of Kolkata, sealing WI's second T20 World Cup win. While for the visitors, the 2016 tournament will serve as a fuel to revive WI's fortunes in world cricket, the fans of Men in Blue would count on their fiery batting line-up to avenge the heartbreak West Indies inflicted on them a decade back.

'David did defeat Goliath': Sammy on India showdown

Speaking during the pre-match presser, on if the team is facing a sense of comfort heading into the match, Sammy said, "Well, there is a saying that history could repeat itself, although it was a different venue. But it is two different teams, two teams trying to move on in the tournament. You're absolutely right. I still think that 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 got to play a good game of cricket in order to come out victorious. And I'm excited for the contest. As you could see, so many journalists here. The importance of the game. And I am pretty sure they will have, what, 80,000 here tomorrow, and then another 1.4 billion supporting India. So it will still feel like a David and Goliath showdown, but like I said in 2016 - David did defeat Goliath- so that is what I am going to tell my boys tomorrow."

Sammy, who led WI to both these T20 World Cup wins in 2012 and 2016 as a captain, said that coming back to Eden Gardens brings good memories. "All my soldiers, they are ready for battle tomorrow when we call upon. We will have to wait till the toss for the 11," he added.

'We sent a stronger message about how deep our batting is'

He also reflected on WI's fightback against South Africa, going from 83/7 to 176/8 and pointed out the depth of their batting, with Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd coming way down the order and tonking sixes with power, skill and class of a proper top-order batter. "Not often you see a team 83-7 and go on to score 170. I think we sent a stronger message about how deep our batting is. But yeah, we left that game in Ahmedabad, and our focus has been solely on what we have to do tomorrow against a strong Indian team, and that is where our focus is right now," he added.

'Most relaxed and focused I've seen him': Sammy on Hetmyer

Sammy also spoke on the "relaxed and focused" mindset of batter Shimron Hetmyer, who has topped the side's batting charts with 221 runs in six innings at an average of 44.20 and a strike rate of over 182 and two fifties. He also hoped while Shimron has an incredible outing against India, they do not want to stay dependent on him. "I see he is the most relaxed and focused I've seen him in the West Indies dressing room since I have been around. And he is enjoying the game. I mean, we, the coaches and his teammates, most importantly, his teammates, challenged him for that number three position. And the responsibility he has taken with, it has given us a boost and sends a lot of positive, confident messages in the dressing room when he is batting.

So hopefully tomorrow he has another better of an inning. But as we have shown throughout the tournament, we do not really rely on one person. We get performances from different players. Hopefully, tomorrow, that game, that all-around game we have been searching for, it comes to light," he added.

'It all goes down to the execution'

Sammy also dismissed that the Indian challenge in the T20 World Cup is the "toughest challenge" for him, and rather said that the whole year has been challenging for him, and in this high-stakes T20 WC virtual knockout, everything comes down to execution. "I do not think one game would be the toughest challenge for me. I think last year all of 2025, was the toughest challenge for me as a coach, but I do understand what this game means. It is a knockout. You win, you go through, you lose, and then you start thinking about all the what-ifs that could have happened. And that is what makes an athlete. That is what makes competition. That's what makes a World Cup the pinnacle of your sport. So again, we are going to come out there, we have the mindset, we have prepared well, we have planned well, It all goes down again to the execution. And that's what I am going to be channelling into the boys. And I know they are ready to deliver," he concluded.

Squads

India Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav

West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Johnson Charles, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Quentin Sampson.

(ANI)

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