West Indies return to the hallowed halls of the Eden Gardens to play a virtual quarter-final against India. The Windies, who played the 2016 T20 World Cup final at the same venue, will be looking to recreate the same Calypso flair that they were able to execute against England, who were the favourites to win that match going into the final over of the game.
That night was not just about a trophy. It was about theatre. It was about nerves. It was about a team that refused to follow the script.
On that sultry April evening, Kolkata witnessed one of the greatest moments in cricket history, when Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes against Ben Stokes to crown the West Indies world champions again. It was one of the greatest final acts the format has ever seen; a burst of audacity that defined a generation.
That memory will not be lost on this current side.
Shai Hope’s West Indies will be hoping to draw the same inspiration once again against the pre-tournament favourites, India, who perhaps finally put up a warning sign in the T20 World Cup 2026 by hitting 256 runs against Zimbabwe, the second-highest total in the history of the competition.
However, it would be a mistake to count out the West Indies.
Three days before India hit the second-highest total, it was the West Indies who crushed Zimbabwe. The same Zimbabwe that had earlier knocked out Australia. The same Zimbabwe briefly threatened to become the tournament’s surprise package. The Windies, however, dismantled them without fuss. And that is the thing about this team. When they click, they do not just win. They overwhelm.
DO NOT COUNT OUT WEST INDIES
West Indies come into the game against India in the most West Indies way possible. On the back of a horrendous loss against South Africa, who, by the way, have started looking like the team to beat this tournament since their narrow escape against Afghanistan.
The Windies failed to bat well, scoring only 176 in Ahmedabad on a pitch where 220–230 looked par. The bowling was not much to write home about either, as South Africa chased the total down in just 16.1 overs, on the back of Aiden Markram’s sensational 82* off 46 balls.
It was a deflating night. It was also not entirely surprising.
But if there is one thing tournament cricket has taught us, it is that this West Indies team are rarely linear. They do not build gently. They do not progress predictably. They oscillate.
And in that oscillation lies both their weakness and their threat.
At No.3 is Shimron Hetmyer, who is enjoying his new role in the tournament. When Hetmyer settles, he shifts pressure in a matter of overs. If you get Shimron, an incredible Sherfane Rutherford waits at the back end of the batting order, ready to pounce on any opportunity. Beyond those two southpaws are Rovman Powell and No.10 Romario Shepherd, both capable hitters who can change the mood of the game.
And that is what makes them dangerous. The game never feels fully over till all of their batters are gone. Even when the Windies are quiet, they feel one over away from an explosion.
Interestingly, West Indies balance it out with measured batters like Brandon King, Shai Hope and Roston Chase, who are not your traditional T20 bashers. They are accumulators. They hold shape. And on days when the hitters are not quite able to fire, they can play safely till that one hitter finally explodes in the game.
West Indies’ biggest tragedy is perhaps that on most days, the batters do not click, and on the days they do, they look like world beaters.
And that is perhaps the magic that West Indies would like to conjure in Eden – a ground that has played some incredible T20 games in the recent past.
Nearly 10 years ago, Eden gave the magical 2016 final. More recently, it produced the high-scoring thriller between the Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, where the hosts lost despite scoring 261. Last year, a blistering hundred from Jos Buttler trumped Sunil Narine’s 109, helping Rajasthan Royals down KKR. Eden has a knack for brewing up drama on days when it feels would be one-sided contest.
West Indies have played two matches at the Eden Gardens in this T20 World Cup so far — against a relatively unprepared Scotland and minnows Italy. Against Scotland, Hetmyer and Shepherd earned them a 35-run win.
Shepherd registered the best figures of the tournament, 5/20, which also included a hat-trick. A reminder that this team is not just about batting chaos. It can flip games with the ball, too.
WEST INDIES’ ARMY OF SPINNERS
In some ways, the West Indies have what it takes to match up well against India.
Shimron Hetmyer is one of the finest spin bashers in the world. Down the order, Rutherford and Shepherd can target the sixth bowler and pick the bones out of them if the match-up presents itself.
In the bowling unit, the Windies have an army of spinners, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase – who, while not necessarily world beaters, operate with control. Given India’s recent frailties against sustained slow bowling, they might quietly fancy this contest.
The West Indian team do not come without issues, though.
Openers Brandon King and Shai Hope are not always imposing. Their only specialist fast bowler, Shamar Joseph, has conceded plenty of runs in the tournament. The fast bowler, who rose to prominence in the Test format, has not quite translated that menace into white-ball cricket yet and has been embroiled in off-field controversies as well.
But that, in many ways, is the West Indies.
They have never been secure. Always a little volatile. Often controversial. Always with visible chinks in their armour. And yet, the first team to win two T20 World Cups.
They do not promise control. They promise possibility.
Having stumbled in the last World Cup in their own backyard, there would be a certain symmetry if this Windies unit were able to knock the home favourites out of the tournament at Eden Gardens.
It would be fitting if this game refused to follow logic. It will likely swing. It will likely wobble. It will likely stretch into the last moment.
And if it does, do not be surprised if Eden holds its breath once more. Either way, expect it to unfold in the most Calypso manner possible — unpredictable, rhythmic, slightly chaotic, and impossible to ignore.
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