West Indies national cricket team head coach Darren Sammy has issued an open warning to the Indian national cricket team ahead of the Super 8 match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1.
Darren Sammy lauds Shimron Hetmyer’s excellent form in T20 World Cup 2026
Darren Sammy said that the West Indies team is fully prepared for the Super 8 match against India at Eden Gardens. The head coach also expressed satisfaction over Shimron Hetmyer’s excellent form.
The explosive batsman has scored 221 runs in six matches so far in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at an average of 44.20 and a stormy strike rate of 182.64.
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“His mentality has made him perform well. This is the most comfortable experience for him. He is enjoying the game. His batting has sent a lot of positive messages to the group,” Darren Sammy said in the pre-match press conference.
Special plan ready for Varun Chakraborty
A big challenge will be India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, but Sammy said West Indies have clear plans for each bowler. “We have our own plans against each bowler. We want to play a complete game. It’s a battle of who executes it. I expect it to be an exciting game,” he said.
Speaking about the Eden Gardens pitch, the West Indies coach admitted that the first few overs will be very crucial, and his team will have to quickly understand how the wicket is behaving and adjust their game to take control of the match against the defending champions.
Darren Sammy gave stern warning to India before the Super 8 match
Darren Sammy said, “The first few overs are going to be very important. We have to assess the wicket very quickly. All my troops are ready for the battle tomorrow. The message is clear – leave everything behind in Ahmedabad and focus completely on what we need to do against the Indian team.”
Furthermore, the former captain, who won two T20 World Cup titles, reminded everyone of West Indies’ previous record in India and ordered his team to forget the embarrassing defeat against South Africa and focus only on this Super 8 match.
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The West Indies coach said, “I love being here in Kolkata. Great West Indies teams have won in India. They have left a mark on the generations that have come after them. We have to go to India tomorrow. I will first use my experience from being here to see how good Eden Gardens has been for us. Hopefully it will carry over to the performances.”
Darren Sammy admits South Africa’s failure and West Indies aim to reach semi-finals
Sammy admitted that West Indies’ bowling was ordinary against South Africa, but they have done an extraordinary job against the rest of the teams and have taken almost 48 wickets in the first matches. Now, he wants an all-out effort and strong enforcement against India.
He signed off by saying, “Except South Africa, we have done well in most of the games. Out of the 50 before, we have about 48 wickets. It was a bad defeat against South Africa, and we are ready to respond to it. Tomorrow we will execute with full preparation.”
Notably, West Indies had finished the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 group stage unbeaten before their record-breaking win over Zimbabwe, which was followed by a heavy defeat against South Africa in the Super Eight games. If they beat India, they will qualify for the semi-finals of the mega event.
