West Indies National Cricket Team head coach Daren Sammy has issued an open warning to the India 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.
Daren Sammy hails Shimron Hetmyer’s blazing form at T20 World Cup 2026
Daren Sammy said that the West Indies team is fully ready for the Super 8 clash against India at Eden Gardens. The head coach also expressed his content with the stunning form of Shimron Hetmyer.
The explosive batter has amassed 221 runs at an average of 44.20 and a blistering strike rate of 182.64 in six matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 so far.
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Daren Sammy said at the pre-match press conference, “His mindset has made him have a good run. This is the most relaxed he has been. He is enjoying the game. His batting has sent a lot of positive messages in the group.”
Special plans ready for Varun Chakravarthy
One big challenge will be India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, but Sammy said that the West Indies have clear plans for every bowler. He added, “We have our plans vs each bowler. We want to play a complete game. It is a battle of who executes. I expect it to be an exciting game.”
Speaking about the Eden Gardens pitch, the West Indies coach admitted that the first few overs will be very important, and his team must quickly understand how the wicket is behaving and adjust their game to take control of the match against the defending champions.
Daren Sammy sends strong warning to India before Super 8 clash
Daren Sammy noted, “The first couple of overs are going to be very important. We have to assess the wicket very quickly. All my soldiers are ready for the battle tomorrow. The message is clear—leave everything behind in Ahmadabad and focus solely on what we need to do against the Indian team.”
Furthermore, the former captain, who won two T20 World Cup titles, reminded everyone of the West Indies’ past record in India and ordered his team to forget the embarrassing loss 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. The great teams of the West Indies won in India. They have left a mark on the generations that came after them. We have to go to India tomorrow. I use my experience, being here before, on how good Eden Gardens has been for us. Hopefully that moves on to performance.”
Daren Sammy admits South Africa failure as West Indies aim semifinal spot
Sammy admitted that West Indies’ bowling was ordinary against South Africa, but they have done an exceptional job against the rest of the teams, picking almost 48 wickets in earlier matches. Now, he wants full effort and strong execution against India.
He signed off by saying, “Bar South Africa, we have done well in most games. Out of 50 before that, we have around 48 wickets. It was a bad loss vs. SA, and we are ready to respond to that. All hands on execution tomorrow.”
Notably, the West Indies had finished the group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 unbeaten before their record-breaking win over Zimbabwe, followed by a heavy defeat against South Africa in the Super Eight games. If they beat India, they will qualify for the semifinals of the mega event.