Despite excellent numbers as an opener, Hope now bats in the middle order, mostly at No. 4. He has been equally effective there but after Jewel Andrew suffered a blow to his finger during India’s innings, he had to partner John Campbell at the top of the order.
The hosts were not alarmed yet, though. It was a huge target and West Indies were a batter short – a couple of wickets could easily derail the chase. The breakthrough eventually came when Jangoo was run out after a mix-up with his captain. But Hope carried on and, with the help of Sherfane Rutherford, took the side past 200 in the 29th over.
Sammy later explained that the plan was to break down the chase into five phases of ten overs each, and score about 70 runs in each phase. West Indies were on track until they were dealt a couple of unfortunate blows. Rutherford was given caught behind off Naman Dhir for 24 off 25. The batter reviewed, convinced his bat had hit the pad and not the ball, but with no conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field decision, he had to walk off.
“I once had a great chat with the great man, MS Dhoni,” Hope said at the post-match presentation. “He was telling me that you always have more time than you think. So try not to focus too much on the end result. Just look at the process, try to break the game down as best as you can, and find ways to get the boundaries in the back end.”
Paul, batting for the first time in the top five, kept West Indies within touching distance of the required rate. But when he fell for 44 off 35, India sensed an opening. Matthew Forde departed cheaply and Gudakesh Motie struggled, allowing the hosts to tighten their grip. With West Indies needing 56 from the last five overs, Cricinfo’s Forecaster had India as the favourites. Hope, however, had solved the chase in his mind.
“I even thought about the overs that the Indian team were behind,” he said. “So I know they would have to bring a fielder in. It’s always tough when you’re trying to defend a score and you’ve got to have five men in the ring.”
When Kuldeep Yadav came on for the 46th over, Hope smashed the first ball into the sightscreen before sweeping the next over square leg for four. The dewy conditions only made life harder for India’s bowlers and fielders.
With 44 needed from four overs, the over-rate penalty kicked in. Hope took full advantage of that, slicing Gurnoor Brar through the off side for back-to-back fours at the start of the 47th over. Motie also struck a boundary off the last ball, making it a 15-run over.
Still, 29 were needed from three overs, and it was anyone’s game. Debutant Anshul Kamboj, though, could not execute his yorkers under pressure. He missed his length twice – first a half-volley, then a full toss – and Hope put both away for fours. Kamboj might still have salvaged something, only for Motie to strike a four and a six off the last two balls to all but seal the game.
Fittingly, it was Hope who scored the winning runs. With seven needed from two overs, he swept Naman Dhir for a six and then took a single to finish the job.
Asked about Hope’s captaincy style and how he motivates his team-mates, Sammy said: “Shai Hope is someone who believes in leading by his performance. And that has always been him. I wouldn’t say he is a Sammy – everybody is different. He doesn’t really say much. But when he speaks, he is quite clear as to what he is expecting from himself and from the group. And, like I said, he is one who leads by his performance. And he believes in that.
“Like today, somebody had to go up the order and open. He came out and I said to him, [you have to open.] He didn’t say a word. He just put on his pads and went out. And 160 runs later, he won the game for us.
“So he is a class player. I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he has done for West Indies and how he has played as well and the commitment he has given to us. So a class player, great individual, and he leads by his performance.”
As long as Hope keeps leading by his performance, Sammy won’t mind filling in for him at press conferences.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at Cricinfo
