West Indies captain Shai Hope expressed concern over his team’s inconsistency after suffering a 2-1 series loss against India. Hope acknowledged the potential of the West Indies team to perform like the best in the world on certain days, but also recognized their susceptibility to overwhelming defeats on other occasions.
The third ODI match, which served as the series decider, saw West Indies being defeated by a significant margin of 200 runs. This loss resulted in India securing the series victory with a scoreline of 2-1 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
Reflecting on the match, Hope admitted that although the target of 350 runs was attainable, the day did not work in their favor. He emphasized the importance of hindsight in identifying areas for improvement. However, he also acknowledged that they were unable to present a strong challenge to India from the beginning. Despite the pitch offering an achievable total of 350, it simply wasn’t their day to reach that target.
Hope emphasized the need for the team to maintain a winning attitude and consistent performance. He stressed the importance of coming together as a unit and turning these losses into victories.
The West Indies skipper highlighted the team’s contrasting performances, where they can play like the best in the world on some days but struggle significantly on others, ultimately resulting in being “steamrolled” by their opponents.
“Some days, we wake up and play like the best team in the world. And, some days, we just get steamrolled,” ANI quoted Hope as saying.
Gill-Kishan’s 143-run partnership
The outstanding opening partnership of 143 runs between Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, followed by quickfire knocks from Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya, powered India to a total of 351/5. India secured a massive 200-run victory in just 35.3 overs.
(With ANI inputs)