West Indies captain Shai Hope highlighted his team’s successful performance following their victory over India in the fourth T20 International on October 15 in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Hope scored an unbeaten century, earning the Player of the Match award yet again during the tour.
Hope’s remarkable run continued as he recorded his fourth century of the India tour and his fifth score above fifty in seven innings. He has secured three Player of the Match awards so far. With the series tied at 2-2, the deciding match is scheduled for October 17 in Bengaluru, where Hope may add to his list of accomplishments.
On his multiple awards, Hope commented, “To be honest, those (POTM trophies) were a bit heavy; we got to look at luggage weight. So I think we are gonna have some problems when I go back home with those Player of the Match awards. I am just trying to give the team the best chance. So as long as we lay that foundation at the start, we got a 50-plus opening partnership. So it was good for us to start innings and then obviously we got that foundation. You can express yourself a bit more in the middle period and then try to give the team the best finish as possible.”
Hope acknowledged that the team’s total of 247 runs was “a decent score”. He noted that the pitch played better than initially anticipated, with the new ball producing varying bounce during their defence of 248 runs.
“I honestly felt it was a decent score because the surface; it was actually holding a bit more than we thought initially. We felt as though the pitch would probably come on a bit better. But I found that with the new ball, some balls were kicking up a lot more and then some were staying down as well. So it is a bit too pace to start, and then obviously with the spinners and the quicks in the back end, it was a little bit more difficult to hit through the line. So I felt as though 240 plus was a decent score,” he said.
Hope is experiencing his best T20 International year, amassing 601 runs in 16 innings at an average of 50.08 and a strike rate exceeding 152. His tally includes two centuries and four fifties. Across all formats this year, he has accumulated 1,336 runs in 29 matches and 30 innings at an average of 55.66, with a strike rate of 92.01, including five centuries and seven fifties.
During the tour of India, Hope has been West Indies’ leading run-scorer and the second-highest overall in One Day Internationals, scoring 278 runs in three innings at an average of 139.00, including two centuries and a highest score of 162 not out in the final ODI in Assam. In the T20I series, Hope has scored 261 runs in four innings, featuring two centuries and one fifty, making him the leading run-scorer in the format. Across seven innings in all formats during the tour, he has compiled 539 runs at an average of 134.75, including four centuries and one fifty.
Hope’s career record against India across formats stands at 1,961 runs in 45 matches and 49 innings at an average of 47.82, with eight centuries and six fifties, and a highest score of 162 not out.
In the fourth T20I, Hope scored 102 not out from 50 balls, including four boundaries and nine sixes. Bowler Keemo Paul played a crucial role by taking five wickets for 41 runs early in the innings. Other significant contributions came from Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 33 runs off 12 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, and Sherfane Rutherford, who added 49 not out in 26 balls, featuring six fours and three sixes, helping West Indies post 247 for three.
In response, India started strongly with Sanju Samson scoring 56 runs off 22 balls, including six fours and four sixes, but soon found themselves chasing the target. A 70-run partnership between Tilak Varma (43 off 25 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 20 balls, hitting one four and four sixes) provided some hope, but their dismissals hindered India’s progress. Arshdeep Singh retired hurt in the final over after being struck on the arm, leaving India 25 runs short of the target.
The series is now tied 2-2, setting the stage for an exciting decider at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.