Kolkata, February 28 It's hard not to admire Darren Sammy, and the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies captain and current head coach knows this very well.
Even as his team prepares to play India in a must-win Super Eights game, a 15-minute press conference with the Windies coach is sure to leave you feeling better and happier. He has that effect on people.
A decade ago, West Indies under Sammy's captaincy had eliminated Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India from the semi-finals of the 2016 edition.
Can history repeat itself on Sunday?
"Well, I would say history can repeat itself. Although it was a different venue, but it's two different teams. Two teams trying to move forward in the tournament," Sammy tried to remain composed.
He then spoke about the real challenge – playing India in a high-pressure situation.
"You are absolutely right, I still think that in order to win this tournament, you have to beat India at some point. Tomorrow is that day for us, and we have to play a good game of cricket to emerge victorious. I am excited for the contest," Sammy said.
With a shiny gold cross necklace around his neck, Sammy didn't look anything like Pat Cummins, but he sounded eerily similar to how the Australian captain had spoken on November 18, 2023, a day before the ODI World Cup final.
"I am pretty sure they will have 80,000 (67,000) here tomorrow, and then another 1.4 billion supporting India. So it will still feel like a David and Goliath showdown, but like I said in 2016, David beat Goliath. That's what I'm going to tell my boys tomorrow."
But when asked about Kolkata, which is, for once, not supporting the team it has always loved, Sammy showed why he is respected and adored wherever he goes.
"I love being here (Kolkata). They still come up to me and say "good luck." But I ask them (Kolkata fans), "do you mean it? And then they say, yes, whoever plays well."
Sammy is a proud Caribbean, who knows that the love for his team stems from the kind of cricket his illustrious predecessors displayed. It earned awe and respect.
"It's more or less, it says, you know, what our greats have done playing in India, like Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv (Richards) and those guys. You know, the mark they left on the Indian fans before, we are still benefiting from it."
But he knows that after India, West Indies are the second most loved team in this country.
"But, yeah, I'm not surprised. Obviously, we are most people's second favourite team, but, you know, we're playing against their favourites. So the mindset of the camp is good."
Sammy was very calm and feels that something special might just be around the corner.
"You know, I think it was here that I first started feeling that something special was about to happen. I say so because of the focus I saw in the team, the mindset, the attention to detail, the attention to their preparation. And I still believe that."
When a journalist jokingly asked what dance number his team would perform if they won on Saturday, Sammy gave an answer only he could have.
"I'm not sure about any song, but we do have our rituals when we win. I still don't know the words of the song, but I'm enjoying it. But, yeah, it will be a massive celebration for us to get to the semi-finals."
But he wouldn't mind if the West Indies bowlers make the Indian batters dance to their Calypso tune on Sunday?
"What time is it? 7 o'clock? Yeah, in just over 26 hours, the bell will ring here in Kolkata, and the dancing will start. That's where the dancing will happen on the cricket field. And, hopefully, the West Indies will dance the best," Sammy said, in his own unique style.
There was no malice but only love ahead of the battle.
