KOLKATA: The West Indies will surely draw inspiration from their triumph in 2016 when they take on India in a must-win Super Eights clash at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. On 3 April 2016, they defeated England at this venue to win the T20 World Cup. They may not have been the same force a decade later, but they showed flashes of brilliance before taking on South Africa.The common thread that remains between the 2016 team and this one is Darren Sammy. The current West Indies coach was the captain then. “It’s a strange feeling for me,” said Sammy on his return to Eden. He might want to relive that moment of triumph, but this time India seems to be holding all the aces.
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The 2016 team had a lot of charismatic players. Apart from Sammy himself, they were Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels. This time again they have some extremely talented players who can deliver like Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder. However, they are nowhere near the class of 2016.While these West Indies have shown their prowess in the league stage, apart from England, their opponents have been associated nations who are still finding their footing in the game. Even England were well below par. The reality check came against South Africa and there the West Indies fell behind by miles.The only advantage is that they have played two matches here during the tournament while India is going here for the first time. India last played a Test match here against South Africa in October last year and remained second best. But then white ball cricket is a different game and India are masters at it.The wicket has a green tinge this time, unlike the dry surface for the Test in South Africa. Calcutta is the home of India as much as Mumbai or Ahmedabad. With the packed crowd behind them, Suryakumar Yadav will have more adrenaline pumping through his veins than Sammy.
