India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate offered an insight into Suryakumar Yadav’s men’s mindset as they prepare for a must-win Super 8 match against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1. It will be India’s first big-ticket World Cup match without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharmat, who believe they are suiting up for a room with ten imachates – the two young men not masking the pressure but embracing it ahead of the crucial match.
India then kept themselves alive in the semi-final fight beat Zimbabwe by 76 runs in their second Super 8 match on Thursday in Chennai. It was a much-needed win after their shock loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad earlier in the week.
As the West Indies head into the match after a crushing defeat to South Africa in Ahmedabad, Shai Hope’s side showed their explosiveness earlier in the tournament. Just last week, West Indies smashed 254 to deflate Zimbabwe, who conceded 256 to India in Chennai.
It will be a battle between two heavily stacked batting line-ups and the Indian bowling attack is perhaps better equipped to handle the job. But the big question is: is this young Indian side ready to absorb the pressure of high competition? Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after winning the 2024 World Cup. India won the Champions Trophy last year with both in the squad.
“I don’t think you ever want to mask the pressure. I think you want to go towards the pressure and that’s been the message all along – not just the World Cup but all our preparation leading up to it,” Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters at the Eden Gardens on the eve of the big Super 8 game.
“More than masking the pressure, you want to reframe it. We keep telling the players what a privilege it is to play for your country and what a privilege it is to go to Eden Gardens and play a retention game.”
Also read: West Indies return to the hallowed gardens of Paradise hoping to conjure Calypso magic vs India
“When it comes to mechanics, every player has their own routines and mental models. But in general, if you focus on the next task when you’re under pressure, what came before is gone. Whether it’s the next ball you’re bowling or the next ball you’re facing, you just focus on that.
“It’s about giving the players confidence – backing them to execute and trusting the work they’ve done. Those are the moments you prepare for and it’s a great opportunity to show how good you are as a team,” he said.
West Indies, known for their power from top to bottom, also showed versatility with the bat against South Africa. Reduced to 83 for 7 after their top order enforcer Shimron Hetmyer suffered a rare failure, Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd pitched the inningwith an 89-run partnership. West Indies recovered from the crisis to push for 176 in 8 off 20 overs, but the total ultimately proved insufficient.
INDIA WILL FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE: DOESCHATE
Ryan ten Doeschate heaped praise on West Indies’ firepower but said India have clear plans to counter the threat in what he expects to be a high-scoring match on a batsman-friendly Eden Gardens pitch.
“I don’t think there are many squads that boast someone like Romario Shepherd, who started at No. 9. But that’s also a feature of all the teams that are in the tournament now, especially the teams that have done well.
“England bat really deep, New Zealand bat really deep, India bat really deep. We have the luxury of someone like Axar coming late if not early.”
“So you have to focus on wickets. That old way of keeping teams in T20 cricket is gone. We feel that West Indies play a high-risk, high-reward game and as a bowling unit we are really looking forward to the challenge.
“We know there are opportunities where we can get wickets, attack for the full 20 overs and hang them back like that, like South Africa did.
“The surface looks pretty good so it could be a high-scoring game. Apart from throwing strikes with the ball, we will have to make sure we are brave with the bat and maintain a high strike rate and intent throughout,” he said.
The Indian team will fight fire with fire, added the coach.
“West Indies always give it their all in T20s. It’s a major focus for them. But it’s a challenge we’re relishing. We’ll fight fire tomorrow and it should be a really good game.”
A total of 200 has been posted only twice in five matches at this venue. However, West Indies will have the advantage of having played in Kolkata earlier in the tournament. They beat Scotland by 35 points after posting 182 on 7 February and followed that up with a 42-run victory over Italy, scoring 165.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
28 Feb 2026 18:44 IST
