'He has shown how consistent he is.'
'We were in it to win it when we left the Caribbean' 'With all that happened before the tournament, the disrespect from journalists, and from our own cricket board. that was out of order. The only way we could make a statement is by winning this tournament'
Having managed to field a strong side in the last minute amid a contract row with their Board (WICB), West Indies captain Darren Sammy today said their aim is to bring back the World Twenty20 title to restore the faith among the Caribbean fans. "As of now we are in the World Twenty20 and that's what our focus is on. It's just cricket. At the end we are professionals, but this event means a lot to us as a group. The next World Twenty20 is in 2020 and a few of our guys won't be part of that event so this one is very important for us," Sammy said. "Everyone's focus is on winning. A win here will mean a lot to us and people at home, especially in the current situation of our cricket. It's not just about the men team but the women team as well. "The message is cricket. Once you step out on the cricket field you should not be worried about contracts and other stuff. It's about making your country proud," the skipper of the 2012 World T20 champion side in Sri Lanka told reporters in Kolkata. Presently ranked world no 2 in Twenty20 rankings, West Indies cricket was in serious crisis involving players' contracts in the run up to the upcoming event and a second string side was expected to be named had the row been not resolved at the last minut
Against the backdrop of the West Indies team's withdrawal from its tour of India, Rediff.com takes a look at instances when cricket tours have been called off midway through a series.
Relishing the prospect of leading the side in the the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli today said the hastily-planned series would be an exciting one, especially with World Cup spots up for grabs.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has warned that his team cannot lower their guard against the Indians despite captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni being rested for the first three ODIs.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
The Indian cricket team is not losing sleep over the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) in the five-Test series against England commencing in Rajkot on Wednesday with captain Virat Kohli saying the referral process is not rocket science. "Well there is no rocket science on DRS. As a cricketer you understand, you have a fair idea of where the ball has hit the pad, whether it has pitched in line or hit in line. "Those are pretty basic things in cricket. You don't have to necessarily go through a course for DRS," said the home team captain on the eve of the series opener at the SCA stadium in Rajkot.
Their World Cup build-up halted by West Indies team's sudden mid-series pullout, India would resume the preparations for the mega-event when they square off against under-cooked sub-continental rivals Sri Lanka in a hastily-arranged ODI series starting in Cuttack on Sunday.
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