ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign came to an end for the West Indies cricket team after a five-wicket defeat to India national cricket team in their final Super 8 fixture on Sunday, March 1 at Eden Gardens. India’s victory secured their passage to the semi-finals.
Captain Shai Hope endured a difficult evening with the bat, managing 32 from 33 deliveries before being bowled by Varun Chakravarthy. After the match, he addressed questions about the tempo of his innings and whether it contributed to his side falling short of a par total on the surface. Hope conceded he could have shifted gears earlier.
“You all make me laugh, man. Yes, I’ll take the blame if that’s what you want me to say. I should have batted a lot faster. That’s what you wanted me to say. But in situations like this, when you’re struggling, everyone struggles. But like I said, I don’t think I was batting badly. It’s just that I was hitting the fielders and then trying to play the situation a bit more. Obviously, I wanted to bat a little bit deeper into the innings and face most of the spin threat in the middle. But I just didn’t get going today. But yes, I’ll take the blame. So that’s what you want me to say,” Hope said at the post-match press conference.
Hope has been the second-highest run-scorer for the West Indies in the tournament, and his contributions helped the team maintain an unbeaten record prior to clashes against South Africa and India. However, he admitted that rhythm can sometimes be elusive.
“It’s one of those things, sometimes you just don’t get the ball away,” Hope said. “As much as we would love to come and hit every single ball, but it just doesn’t happen. I hit a few fielders today as well, so it didn’t help. Then I thought India bowled pretty well, to be fair.”
Partnership and total not enough
Hope and Roston Chase put on 68 runs from 53 balls for the opening wicket, with Chase contributing 40 off 25. The West Indies eventually closed on 195/4 from their 20 overs.
That total, however, proved insufficient as Sanju Samson struck an unbeaten 97 from 50 balls to guide India to the target in 19.2 overs, sealing a semi-final berth.
Despite his own frustrations, Hope maintained that the opening stand had provided a foundation consistent with the approach the team had pursued throughout the competition.
“So we actually had a platform setting,” Hope said. “So as much as I personally would love to be a bit more fluent in the powerplay, you’ve still got to take things in stride. Today we were 45 in the powerplay for no loss.
“With the batting depth that we have, I don’t see it as a big, big issue. But obviously, I was trying for a lot more. Those are the standards that we set as a team.”
Positives from the campaign
While the loss ended their tournament hopes, Hope pointed to several encouraging aspects of the West Indies’ run.
“We had 38 wickets out of a possible 40 in the group stages,” he said. “And then from a batting standpoint, Shimron Hetmyer coming in at No. 3 and doing what he does best. A lot of the batters coming in and contributing to those bigger totals that we got in this tournament.”
“Then Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie with the ball, Romario Shepherd had a hat-trick and five-for. So I thought the guys represented the region well. And I think we’re all going to go home with our heads held high.”
