Derek Archer wrapped a T&T flag around his West Indies maroon T-shirt, and had a tall top hat firmly placed on his head. And he had the flag and the hat from the moment he entered the stadium which was empty when the West Indies women successfully defended 143/6 to win by six runs against New Zealand.
On the eve of the India vs West Indies ICC World T20 semifinal, the Caribbean captain Darren Sammy said in Mumbai that "It's going to be one hell of a game, it's going to be 15 West Indies players versus 78,000, plus billions of Indians."
Little did he know that he had a few more than his team's support staff rooting for him from the stands. A group of 10-12 West Indies supporters including two women, all from Trinidad and Tobago, have been shouting for the West Indies throughout the ICC World T20. They were at the Wankhede Stadium, watching from Tier 3 of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand, close to where Andre Russell smashed that 99-metre six in the West Indies' successful run chase.
Derek Archer wrapped a T&T flag around his West Indies maroon T-shirt, and had a tall top hat firmly placed on his head. And he had the flag and the hat from the moment he entered the stadium which was empty when the West Indies women successfully defended 143/6 to win by six runs against New Zealand.
Archer, in between obliging selfies with Indian supporters, shouted for a wicket and the women gave him one almost every time. It seemed that he was pulling out a trick out of his T&T shaded hat. But he and his fellow Trinidadians were outshouted when the Indian innings began, especially when Virat Kohli went about his business in the company of Ajinkya Rahane first and then MS Dhoni.
But deep inside them, they had the belief that West Indies would chase down that imposing target of 193 that India set the West Indies. "I was worried, maan, if West Indies were to set a smaller total. But after we won the toss and chose to bat second, I felt good and confident," Archer, in his 30s, said amidst taking pictures with the Indian supporters who sportingly enough congratulated the islanders for their entry into the final.
Retired from Defence Forces, Wesley Gomes had a concerned look when Chris Gayle fell cheaply. But fellow Trinidadian Lendl Simmons came to the party, and the cheer grew louder and louder from Gomes and his group.
"We never gave up hope. Lendl is a 'local' in Mumbai and knows the conditions. I always knew that anything under 200 was achievable. We support West Indies wherever they play, and especially in times when not many give them a chance. That's when they need our support more," said Gomes.
And rest assured, Gomes and his group will be at the Eden to root for both the men's and women's teams.
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