T20 World Cup 2026 | Davids will beat Goliaths again: Daren Sammy

Kolkata: At the start of the T20 World Cup, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy proclaimed that for any team to lift the trophy, it had to go through India. Now, after three weeks, his team is left with that onerous task as Windies take on the Men in Blue in a virtual quarterfinal at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

Sammy, a much-loved figure in this part of the world, echoed the same thoughts, calling Sunday’s Super Eights clash a battle between ‘David and Goliath’ but confident his ‘Davids’ will triumph again, like they did in the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium.

“I still think in order for you to win this tournament, you have to go through India at some point. Tomorrow (Sunday) is that day for us, and we’re going to play a good game of cricket in order to come out victorious. I’m excited for the contest,” said Sammy, who captained West Indies in 2016 when they won the trophy for a second time, at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll have 80,000 (fans) here tomorrow and then another 1.4 billion supporting India. It will still feel like a David and Goliath showdown, but like I said in 2016, David did defeat Goliath. So that’s what I’m going to tell my boys tomorrow.”

A key player in the West Indies’ remarkable run this World Cup — until being humbled by South Africa in their previous match — is Shimron Hetmyer. An extremely dangerous top-order batter who can score at the rate of knots, the southpaw has often been criticised for lacking consistency. A big knock follows a period of lull. However, this World Cup, the 29-year-old leads West Indies’ batting charts with 221 runs.

Sammy attributed Hetmyer’s changed mental space to his consistency. “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. With the coaches and his teammates, most importantly, his teammates challenged him for that number three position. The responsibility he’s battled with, it’s given us a boost and sends a lot of positive, confident messages in the dressing room when he’s batting. Hopefully, tomorrow he has another belter of an innings.”

When asked if the game against India is the toughest challenge he has faced as West Indies’ coach, Sammy, sporting two thick gold chains and oozing a calm confidence, said such high-pressure games are what athletes live for.

“I don’t think one game will 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’s a knockout. You win, you go through. You lose and then you start thinking about all the what-ifs that could have happened. 

“That’s what makes an athlete. That’s what makes competition. That’s what makes a World Cup the pinnacle of your sport. We have the mindset, we’ve prepared well, we’ve planned well. It all goes down again to the execution. That’s what I’m going to be channelling into the boys. I know they are ready to deliver.”