Kolkata, February 28 – India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has made it clear that the defending champions will not be intimidated by pressure in their must-win Super Eight clash against the West Indies at the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
"I think the important thing is to focus on ourselves, focus on what has brought this group to this point, and how well they've performed," Ten Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference in Kolkata on Saturday.
The assistant coach expected the key players to step up and handle the pressure effectively in the virtual quarterfinal.
"It's about the key players standing up, experienced players standing up, and remaining calm and true to the way we've played leading up to this match. I don't think you ever want to hide from the pressure. I think you want to embrace it. And that's been the message throughout, not just the World Cup, but certainly all the bilateral series," he said.
"All our preparations have been focused on embracing pressure when it arises. We are continually telling the players what a privilege it is to play for your country, and what a privilege it is to play at Eden Gardens in a match to stay in the tournament," Ten Doeschate added.
India have a good record against the West Indies in T20Is. The Indian team has won 19 out of 30 matches played against them. While the West Indies have only won on 10 occasions.
India will be entering the contest with a dominant 72-run victory against Zimbabwe in their second Super 8s match, played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. They had lost their first match against South Africa and have earned two points from two matches.
India have played only one T20 World Cup match at Eden Gardens. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, India faced Pakistan at this ground, where the Indian team won by six wickets. India also won all three matches against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in T20Is in 2022.
