Ranchi, Oct 10 (IANS) India head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged Shai Hope’s class after the West Indies skipper’s unbeaten century powered the visitors to a record-breaking six-wicket victory in the second T20I in Ranchi, helping them chase down India’s 250-run target and level the five-match series at 1-1.

Hope struck 102 off 45 balls to anchor the highest successful T20I chase against India, combining with Sherfane Rutherford, who smashed 84 off 37 deliveries, to overturn an early collapse and complete the pursuit with four balls remaining.

Hope’s innings was particularly significant given the position West Indies found themselves in during the opening stages. India struck twice in the first over and reduced the visitors to 58 for three in the powerplay, but the West Indies captain kept the chase on track through a commanding partnership with Rutherford before taking responsibility for the finish.

Gambhir highlighted Hope’s experience in both formats of white-ball cricket, pointing to the captain’s ability to maintain an aggressive scoring rate while ensuring he remained at the crease until the target was within reach.

“Shai is a world-class cricketer,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference. “We respect him for what he’s done in white-ball cricket, not only in the 50-over format but in this format as well. His record speaks for him. What he did today, especially after losing two wickets (in the first over). To continue batting at run-rate of 12-plus (an over) with Sherfane, just shows how good they are when the wicket is flat and there’s dew. He batted deep which was important and in the end he finished the game. He was able to pace his innings really well.”

The West Indies recovery also underlined the limitations of India’s early breakthroughs on a surface where dew made defending a large total increasingly difficult. Rutherford took the attack to the Indian bowlers, while Hope provided the stability and acceleration required to prevent the chase from losing direction. Their 120-run stand transformed the contest, leaving India unable to regain control despite Mayank Yadav finishing with three wickets.

Gambhir maintained that the opening exchanges were not enough to determine the outcome against a side capable of recovering from setbacks and sustaining its intensity throughout a T20 match.

“I’ve played enough cricket to know that games are not decided in the first over. They are a strong T20 side and we respect them,” Gambhir said. “We know how dangerous they are. A game of cricket is won and lost when you play consistently for a period of 40 overs.”

While Hope’s century dominated the result, India’s batting decisions also featured in Gambhir’s assessment of the match. Shivam Dube, promoted to No. 4, scored five off seven balls as India lost momentum against Roston Chase, who returned figures of three for 24. Gambhir, however, defended the promotion, arguing that the team’s flexible batting order was based on a longer-term strategy rather than an isolated performance.

“We’ve used him like this for a long period of time, even at the World Cup and before that. It was not just a one-off today. We’ve lost momentum today but we’ve gained a lot of momentum when he’s gone at No. 4 and taken down opposition bowlers,” Gambhir said. “This is international cricket, sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. And more importantly, we’ve always been flexible with our batting line-up and we’ll continue with it. I’ve said in T20 cricket only the openers are fixed.

“The bottom line is we couldn’t defend 250. They batted extremely well. They deserved to win and we still need a lot of work to be done when you’re playing against a dangerous team, especially when you lose the toss.”

India had posted 249 for five, with Sanju Samson scoring 82 and Tilak Varma contributing 44, but Hope’s unbeaten 102 ensured that total was not enough. West Indies finished on 252 for four, registering their highest successful chase in T20 internationals and the highest successful T20I chase against India.

The teams will move to Indore for the third T20I in less than 48 hours, with the series level at 1-1. India will look to improve their bowling execution, while West Indies will aim to build on a victory shaped by Hope’s leadership and his ability to turn an early crisis into a landmark chase.

--IANS

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