‘Feeding a hungry lion and a goat on a platter’: Ashwin explains how Shai Hope helped Sanju Samson regain form

Sanju Samson of India (PTI Photo) Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned Shai Hope’s bowling decision during the second T20I against India, claiming the West Indies captain made a tactical error in insisting on Akeal Hosein despite the spinner being dismantled by Sanju Samson.India piled up 249/5 in 20 overs in Ranchi on Friday, with Samson smashing 82 off just 41 deliveries. But West Indies produced a stunning response with the bat and chased down the target with nine balls to spare as Hope made an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls to level the five-match series at 1-1.While the Indian batting dominated the first half of the match, Ashwin felt that Hope wasted an opportunity to contain Samson by continuing to use Hosein during the PowerPlay.The left-arm Spider conceded 46 runs in three overs and struggled to contain Samson, who punished him with two sixes and two fours in one over. Despite the batsman’s aggressive approach, Hope gave Hosein three consecutive overs before eventually leaving him out of the attack for the rest of the innings.Criticizing the decision, Ashwin said the West Indies captain could not have expected to build pressure by repeatedly using the spinner against a batsman who was finding boundaries with ease.“Samson looked scrappy as he was not in the scoring phase. But Shai Hope also made a mistake today. You can’t use spinners from one end trying to put pressure on Sanju Samson. Bowling three consecutive overs from Akeal Hosein during the powerplay was like serving a hungry lion and a goat on a platter. Samson simply used his channel Akeal, Ashwin took the opportunity on YouTube, Ashwin Baat.Ashwin also praised Samson’s attitude and highlighted his willingness to take risks for the team despite the pressure surrounding his place in the side.“It’s not easy to maintain this attitude. It’s human nature that when you’re in danger and you know you could be dropped, the instinct of self-preservation becomes the highest priority. Yet he continues to take risks for the team. And it’s this great attitude of his that seems to bring him a bit of luck. Today, the catch went right into the fielder’s hands, but he dropped it,” he added.Despite the expensive spell, West Indies managed to turn the game around with some impressive batting. Hope led the chase with an unbeaten century to help the visitors overcome the pressure in a total of nearly 250. The West Indies also showed resilience by completing the chase despite losing three wickets in the first six overs.The result added to the growing debate about the balance between bat and ball in the series. India and West Indies produced high-scoring performances and batting-friendly conditions made life difficult for the bowlers.India will now look to address their woes in defending big units, with head coach Gautam Gambhir stressing the need for a better balance between bat and ball. The teams head to Indore for the next match where another high-scoring encounter may await.