Sometimes, it takes more than winning matches to conquer the hearts of the fans. There are teams known for their brilliant performances. Then there are teams that make news for their spirit of sportsmanship. And then there are the mighty West Indies, a complete package of fine cricket, unfailing sportsmanship, and wholesome entertainment.
The Caribbeans entered the grand final of the ICC World T20 after capitalizing on team India’s casual bowling display in the second semi-final. The team will now take on the Three Lions in an attempt to make history in the grand finale at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Both the teams have the capacity to deconstruct each other in their own distinctive ways and the finals, thus, promise us an extravagant affair.
Even amongst people who do not follow cricket religiously, it has become a well-known fact that West Indies are one of the most loved cricketing nations in the world. Here are the 5 reasons which give the Windies an extra edge when it comes to love and support from the fans.
#Powerful Hitters
Unlike Test and ODI cricket, there is no scope for wasting balls to settle down in a T20 format, which is all about 4 hours of some out-of-the-park sixes and smashing boundaries. West Indies have few of the greatest hitters and run-chasers in the world.
They know how to storm the stadiums with their unstoppable big hits, most of which lead to the termination of the ball. At the top order, they have Christopher Swashbuckling Gayle and Jhonson Menacing Charles, who offer a fire start to the team.
And after that, Samuels, Bravo, Russells, Simmons, Sammy, the list is as big as their hitting. It becomes difficult to settle the field when the giants begin to fire. What the viewers want at the end of the day is entertainment, and the huge hits by the Windians give enough scope for the same.
#On-field celebrations
There have been several visuals of the team’s larger-than-life celebrations which bring out the oh-so-cool side of theirs. The footloose and fancy-free Chris Gayle always holds court on the field with his trademark celebrations.
The video in which the batsman dances to Gangnam Style in the middle of the pitch in an ongoing match went viral on social media. For a recent example, when Dwayne Bravo dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium was subjected to entertainment by the all-rounder who celebrated the wicket with his softened version of “Champion Dance”.
The team has now become synonymous with on-field dance celebrations. From Gangnam Style to Champion Song, the team has never retreated from celebrating just the way they like it. And in return, the fans have something to feast their eyes on.
#Off-field celebrations
Beyond the 22 yards, the players know how to have a ball off-field too. In a recent video which surfaced on Facebook, the team is seen having a whale of a time after the victory over India in the dressing room.
Dwayne Bravo and leader Darren Sammy led the team to the hotel room doing a victory jig to the tunes of “Champion”, a song penned down and sung by “DJ Bravo” himself, tooting from a transportable speaker carried by Sammy.
The two continued to dance as the chorus of the song echoed. The team’s staff and the women cricketers from the women team are seen applauding them. Also seen were images of Chris Gayle dancing topless in the dressing room, clicking a selfie with his RCB teammate Virat Kohli.
#The Trinidadians have too many colorful elements
Beyond their trademark celebrations, there is more vibrancy to their cool and easy-going nature. You can spot some of the players with the wackiest hairdos which they carry with much ease, making further room for entertainment.
Andre Russell’s Mohawk, which apparently was inspired by Laurence Tureaurd, the WWE superstar, became a much talked about topic for fans. Also, you can see Instagram pictures of the players chilling out at parties in the most unusual dressing styles and yet killing it.
A recent instance of the chilled-out camaraderie of the Windians took the social media by storm when the ICC posted a video of Darren Sammy tricking Indian leader MS Dhoni with an epic prank before the toss of the second ICC semi-final at the Wankhede.
The Trinidad captain patted the Indian captain on his back and promptly moved away to keep Dhoni wondering who it was. One team, many fun elements!
#Admirable Sportsmanship
Aggression, close matches, and hardcore battles are the most integral ingredients in the recipe of cricket which make it tasty. But if there is one ingredient which goes a step beyond to win hearts, it is that of sportsmanship.
Below the bat and the ball lies the human emotion, which comes before anything else. Time and again, the West Indies players have upheld the spirit of the game with their admirable sportsmanship.
Chris Gayle was seen taking a selfie with the Afghanistan cricket team after the novice team beat West Indies in one of their group matches. Gayle joined the team’s ecstatic celebrations over the Caribbeans and proved why he is an entertainer by all means.
Dwayne Bravo, too, displayed sportsmanship on his Twitter handle where he uploaded a picture with Indian skipper MS dhoni after the semi-final and captained it “Win, lose or draw ...always #macha #champion #respect.".
This was a much welcome appreciation after Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim mocked India’s semi-final loss by a tweet which read “Happiness is this....!!! #ha ha ha..!!!! India lost in the semifinal." On-field or off the field, the gentlemen know how to endorse the spirit of cricket.
Whether the West Indies win or lose the finals, we sure are expecting a lot of big shots, many dance moves, a couple of happy-go-lucky selfies, few sportsmanship moments and lots and lots of unparalleled entertainment at the closing match of the ICC world T20.
Go, boys!
