Kolkata has a habit of stirring nostalgia and deja vu, and giving the internet-savvy an excuse to #throwback. Wouldn't Daren Sammy and West Indies like to carry that thought into the cauldron of Eden Gardens? Sammy has returned to the land of one of his biggest conquests - a T20 World Cup title victory from 2016, as the wise sage of West Indies cricket, pulling strings from behind while narrating tales of glory from the past.

Sammy has always been a headline-chaser's dream. In a room full of journalists on Saturday, he put on a show. "It's going to feel like a David vs Goliath game. But then again, in 2016, David defeated Goliath, so that's what I am going to tell my boys tomorrow."

It's a smart narrative to go with as a coach looking to get his players fired up for their biggest game of the World Cup. But as the last 20-odd days have shown, the quality chasm between the two teams isn't as deep as Sammy would have you believe.

For starters, they're the two best six-hitting teams of the tournament (West Indies: 66, India: 63), who were made to look out of their depth only by South Africa. Their batters have exploitable pain points - India have struggled against pace-off deliveries and West Indies have buckled against short balls - but they've also shown themselves to be responsible for victories. India might want to believe there's more match-winning depth in their bowling but an upbeat Sammy and his West Indies will not concur.

Sunday evening's face-off is a fight to protect both reputations and expectations. West Indies cricket may weather crises and lose bona fide stars to retirement and the lure of franchise leagues, but on the field, they will always be seen as capable of bending this format to their will.

India meanwhile, are lugging along the invisible weight of expectations with the triple burden of being defending champions, the best team of the last two years, and hosts. They rekindled a version close to their best in Chennai, but that would count for nothing if their sojourn doesn't take them from Kolkata to Ahmedabad via Mumbai.

When: India vs West Indies, 52nd Match, Super Eights Group 1, March 1, 7 PM IST

Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

What to expect: A dry pitch? That was Daren Sammy's first assessment of it. There's also a bit of green left on it on the eve of the big fixture. This is also the first 7 PM start of the World Cup at this venue so average scores so far will not paint an accurate picture of what to expect. The city experienced rains last week, but the coast should be clear on Sunday.