The India vs West Indies T20I series ended in a 2-2 draw after the final match was washed away in Bengaluru on Saturday (Oct 17). India, the two-time back-to-back T20 World Cup champions in 2024 and 2026, were expected to win the series, but Shai Hope denied them.
The West Indies skipper hit 261 runs in four innings including two centuries – in the 2nd and 4th T20Is – and was rightfully named Player of the Series. Hope had also scored a century (162 not out) in the third ODI before the T20Is started to help West Indies get their only win in the three-match series by helping them chase 352.
What keeps Hope going ?
Speaking to the broadcaster after the final match was washed away, Hope spoke at length about his process and what keeps him going, saying “You still have to have that self-belief.”
“Honestly, whenever I cross the line, even if I haven’t got any runs in the last two, three, four, five innings, I still believe that I can get the job done,” he said. “I think that’s what kind of keeps me going, keeps me grounded as well, knowing that even if I do score a hundred or I get a big score, in the next game I still have to start from scratch.
“So my process never changes. I try to stay as neutral as I possibly can. I just back my ability to get the job done because I prepare, I think, well enough. So just allow that to happen and hopefully when the execution comes, it goes in my favour.”
How did Hope deny India a series win?
In the first T20I, West Indies managed 171 with Hope scoring 52 off 37, but India chased it down with eight wickets in hand, thanks to skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 102 not out. In the second T20I, West Indies chased down the 250-run target with Hope scoring 102 not out off 45 balls.
India bounced back in the third T20I as the bowlers defended 223 and restricted West Indies to 209/7. In the fourth T20I, West Indies posted 247 with Hope scoring 102 not out off 50 balls. India, in reply, could manage only 223 and lost by 24 runs. The fifth T20I ended in no result after being called off due to rain after 7.4 overs in the first innings.