A premature exit for the defending champions in the Super Eight stage of a home World Cup would be looked at like disaster.
“I think the important thing is to focus on ourselves, focus on what has got this group to this point, how well they’ve done,” ten Doeschate said. “It’s about big players standing up, experienced players standing up and just remaining calm and staying true to the way we’ve played leading up to this match. I don’t think you ever want to mask the pressure. I think you want to go towards pressure. And that’s been the message throughout, not just the World Cup, but certainly all the bilateral series.
“All our preparation has been towards embracing pressure when it comes. We’re continuously telling the guys what a privilege it is to play for your country, what a privilege it is to walk out at Eden Gardens and play for a match to stay in the tournament.”
In 2016, David did beat Goliath. So that’s what I’m going to tell my boys tomorrow
West Indies coach Daren Sammy
“And I’m pretty sure they’ll have, what, 80,000 [67,000] here tomorrow and then another 1.4 billion supporting India. You know, so it will still feel as, you know, a David and Goliath showdown. But like I said in 2016, David did beat Goliath. So that’s what I’m going to tell my boys tomorrow. All my soldiers, they’re ready for battle tomorrow.”
“To be fair to you, the fans have been nice. They still say best of luck, but I ask them, ‘do you mean it?’ But, yes, I’m not surprised. Obviously, we are most people’s second-favorite team, but, you know, we are playing against, you know, their favorites.”
The work in training was specific. Axar Patel took the bat and alternated between Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. Shivam Dube rehearsed short balls and wide yorkers. Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan batted in turns against Mohammed Siraj and offspin, while in the adjacent net, Abhishek Sharma faced a diet of short balls from pacers under the watchful eye of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, before head coach Gautam Gambhir stepped in for a quiet word. Varun Chakravarthy focused on hitting a consistent good-length area, operating within four marked zones.
West Indies had a relaxed afternoon. There was laughter between drills, but also a steady stream of left-arm wristspin in the nets, perhaps with one eye on Kuldeep Yadav.
India have spoken about preparation and trust in their methods. West Indies have spoken about belief and history. Only one of these philosophies will come up trumps on Sunday.
