"Soldiers are ready" — Daren Sammy issues warning to India ahead of IND vs WI Super 8 clash of T20 World Cup 2026

Keeping all the odds in mind and equations, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said that they are set to take on India at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on March 1. Ahead of the showdown, which was literally shaped like a ‘quarter-final’ for both Team India and West Indies, the former skipper looked very eager to take the field on Sunday.

The iconic Eden Gardens, when under the leadership of Daren Sammy, the West Indies lifted the T20 World Cup trophy back in 2016. Now, Sammy is the head coach of the team, who knows the ground very well, and maybe the venue can cause an extra adrenaline rush for the Caribbeans.

Ahead of the match, Sammy compared themselves to Team India with David and Goliath. The former skipper confidently said that they are going to play an exciting brand of cricket against India.

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“To win this tournament, you have to go through India at some point. We are going to play a good game 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”, Daren Sammy said in the pre-match press conference in Kolkata on Saturday.

West Indies gathered lessons from South Africa

In their previous match, the former T20 World Cup champions were defeated by South Africa in Ahmedabad. Chasing 177, South Africa won by 9 wickets. Sammy mentioned that they have gathered some much-needed lessons from The Proteas, who defeated India also in the Super 8.  

“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”, the West Indies head coach added.