India and West indies shared the T20I trophy after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Windies held the two-time defending T20I world champion to a 2-2 draw in the five-match series after pushing India hard in a 1-2 ODI series loss. Sammy intended to make use of the recent series as a pivot that would improve the economic fortune of his country. The West Indies has found it difficult to sustain itself on the current revenue-sharing scheme that has been in place since 1997.
“My mom always said, 'You must have a care factor.' "No matter what you do in life, you should never lose that care factor. I think we’re in a position where we need somebody to put a shoulder around West Indies cricket—financially, that is. Series like this, here in India against the best team in the world, puts us in a conversation closer to that,” Sammy said after the washed-out fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru on Saturday night.
Sammy then highlighted the advantages of organized growth and financial strength by drawing a contrast between the Indian and West Indian cricketing landscapes.
“India will win the World Cup every time they go somewhere in an ICC event. They expect to win. It is because of all the things they’ve put in place. When the West Indies go somewhere, we’ve got to perform in spite of it. Because and in spite…there are two different words,” Sammy noted.
Sammy, who remains the only captain to win the T20 World Cup twice for the West Indies in 2012 and 2016, added that Cricket West Indies could engage in talks with sponsors more confidently after a spirited outing against India.
“One is that things have been put in place. The other one, in spite of it, is because of the challenges. But we are still doing that. I think we’ve taken a big step. Hopefully, the conversations with stakeholders and the sponsors could be a little bit better after this series. Some investment comes where it could put us in a position to be better all round,” he said.
“Look, we all know what it takes to play for the West Indies…the challenges. To play a team that has been so good for so long, especially in that format, is a wonderful thing. All the guys in the dressing room, they’ve gone out there and played with intent. I think what was good to see was that the swagger is back; the confidence is back. It started during the warm-up, and you could see guys enjoying it, and there was a willingness to win. And that’s where it starts. The belief that we belong where we are and have the performances that say we belong there,” Sammy added.
Sammy stated that it was his responsibility as a coach to establish the proper atmosphere in the locker room, both during victories and defeats.
“For me, as a coach, it’s trying to create that environment, that winning mindset. The belief in players, and sometimes you take two steps forward, but because of the nature of the sport, certain things might happen, and you might think you take three or four steps backwards. But you continue working and continue taking steps in the right direction. That’s what I’m about. I know there’s a lot of noise, but I have very small ears, so I don’t really hear. That’s how I go about doing it,” he said.
Sammy did not hide his disappointment at seeing rain robbing his side of a chance to win the T20I series.
“Obviously, we wanted to win because it’s something we’ve not done forever in India. I can’t recall when we beat India (in India) in a series last time. It would have been nice. But I think the cup is still in our favor because we won the home leg the last time 3-2. It’s a true reflection of how the teams have played,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure when the series started, we probably didn’t have a chance. That was just the opinion of others. We don’t ever take for granted where we are as a team or the challenges that we face. We just look to make little strides. I think after this series, we’ve taken a massive step. Hopefully, that type of energy could help us finish the year on a positive note,” Sammy concluded.
(ANI inputs)