“We will fight fire with fire”

Team India assistant coach Ryan Ten Deutschat said the Men in Blue will “fight fire with fire” in a do-or-die T20 World Cup 2026 match against West Indies in Kolkata. Acknowledging that the Windies’ line-up is full of strength with India challenging, Ten Doeschate added that the defending champions should look to keep chopping wickets, just as South Africa have done.

India will take on West Indies at Kolkata’s famous Eden Gardens on Sunday, March 1. This Group 1 Super 8 showdown is a winner-takes-all contest. The winning team qualifies for the semi-finals, while the losing team is eliminated.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Ten Deutschat stressed that Team India will do everything possible to try and beat the West Indies on Sunday. Sharing his thoughts ahead of the big match (via India Today), he said:

“West Indies always give everything in T20 competitions. It’s a major focus for them. But it’s a challenge we relish. We’ll be fighting fire with fire tomorrow, and it should be a really good game.”

The former Dutch cricketer agreed that West Indies are strong in the batting department, with hard-hitter Romario Shepherd coming in at number nine. However, he added that most teams now have batting depth in T20Is. He said:

“I don’t think there are many lineups that can boast of having someone like Romario Shepherd at number nine. But that’s also a trait of all the teams in the tournament now, especially the teams that have done well. England are batting deep, New Zealand are batting deep, India are batting really deep. We have the luxury of having someone like Axar come in late if not early.”

Ten Doeschate also opined that West Indies batsmen are known for taking risks, which will give the bowlers chances in Sunday’s match. He explained:

“You have to focus on taking wickets. We feel West Indies are playing a high-risk, high-reward game, and as a bowling unit we are really looking forward to that challenge. We know there are opportunities where we can get wickets and tie it back in this way, like South Africa did.”

West Indies went down to South Africa by nine wickets in their previous Super 8 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first, the Windies collapsed to 83-7. An eighth-wicket stand of 89 between Shepherd and Jason Holder took them beyond the 170-run mark, but it was not enough in the end.

“It could be a high-scoring game” – Ryan ten Deutsche in IND vs WI T20 World Cup 2026

The stadiums have been a big talking point in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup. India faces difficulties on the surfaces as the ball does not reach the bat well. However, in the previous match in Chennai, they scored over 250 against Zimbabwe on a batting-friendly surface. While sharing his thoughts on the Kolkata sector, Ten Doeschate commented:

“The surface looks very good, so it could be a high-scoring match. As well as landing punches with the ball, we will have to make sure we are aggressive with the bat and maintain a high strike rate and intent throughout.”

England and South Africa have already qualified for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. They will be joined by New Zealand or Pakistan depending on the outcome of the match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The winner of the India vs West Indies match will then become the last team to qualify for the knockout rounds.