By Utkarsh Rathour
Dubai [UAE], October 11 (ANI): West Indies all-rounder and 2016 T20 World Cup winner Carlos Brathwaite heaped praise on Shai Hope for his unbeaten match-winning century against India during the second T20I, calling for greater appreciation for his consistent performances over the years.
Hope smashed a 45-ball century, helping Windies pull off a memorable 250-run chase, their highest in T20Is against India. His knock helped the visitors level the ongoing five-match series 1-1. This century continues Hope's string of tons against India as he scored his third century on the tour, including two in the ODIs. Two of these three tons have come in a winning cause.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) Season 3, Brathwaite said Hope's performances had long been appreciated in the Caribbean and expressed happiness that the batter was now receiving greater recognition worldwide.
"Shai Hope has been phenomenal for several years. I think he has more international centuries in India than Shreyas Iyer, someone who I think is bordering on world-class. I think Shai Hope definitely is world-class, and I think what we know in the Caribbean, people around the world are now appreciating and acknowledging, maybe because it is in India, the biggest market," Brathwaite told ANI.
"I'm glad to see that his star that we in the Caribbean love and appreciate and adore is now being appreciated and adored worldwide as well. So, fantastic knock by him, and I think sometimes we probably think it's another run-of-the-mill day for the sensational Shai Hope, but we do need to take a step back and appreciate how good he has been, for how long he has been this good as well," he added.
Asked whether India's bowling plans or fielding contributed to the defeat, Brathwaite pointed towards the increasingly batter-friendly nature of pitches in modern T20 cricket, arguing that bowlers often receive little assistance.
"Pitches. I think it's quite difficult now to appreciate run scoring because you got T20 games where people score 240 and it being chased down. I do love a good 160, 170 where bowlers have a little bit of the rub of the green, but now it just seems to be bowling machines versus batters. So to be honest, you can't look at any one team and say the bowlers are that bad because there's no assistance," he said.
Drawing a comparison with India's own batting exploits against the West Indies, Brathwaite said teams should appreciate exceptional performances rather than focus solely on the opposition's shortcomings.
The 2016 T20 World Cup winner drew a comparison with India's Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill's sensational innings during the second ODI, where the star opener smashed an unbeaten record-breaking 223, which helped the Men in Blue to chase down a historic 406.
"With that being said, and I mean when India chased down 400, there's not much you could have said about the West Indies bowling. You just appreciated the centuries, especially the double from Shubman Gill during the second ODI. So, when West Indies chased 250, I don't want to look into the Indian dressing room and say they could have done something right or wrong," the 38-year-old said.
Brathwaite highlighted the contributions of Hope, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd, while praising the team's resilience amid a challenging period on and off the field.
The 38-year-old also pointed to the West Indies' recent performances against India, including scoring 405 runs in the second ODI and then winning the third ODI, and bouncing back from a defeat in the opening T20I to secure a memorable victory in the second match.
"I just want to appreciate Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, and just a never-say-die attitude from the West Indies. Been a difficult tour, on and off the field. A lot of reports from back home financially, and to keep the resilience that they've shown so far, putting in the performances that they have, scoring 400 in the second ODI, winning the third ODI and then losing the first T20I before bouncing back with a memorable win in the second T20I. So we need to celebrate West Indies cricket," Brathwaite signed off.
The third T20I between India and West Indies is scheduled for Sunday. (ANI)
Carlos Brathwaite hails Shai Hope, lauds Windies' "never-say-die attitude" after historic win over India in 2nd T20I
