IND vs WI: Captain Shai Hope urges West Indies to relish India’s challenge

West Indies captain Shai Hope admitted that facing India in their own backyard will be a tough challenge but urged his players to embrace it as they prepare for the three-match ODI series starting on Sunday.

Hope will lead a West Indies side with a mix of experienced players and promising youngsters, with the visitors looking to end their long wait for an ODI series win in India.

“Playing India in their backyard is always a challenge. It’s a challenge that we definitely have to embrace and embrace. It’s a great indicator for us to see where we are as a team,” Hope said at the pre-match press conference.

“But it’s something we always look forward to when you’re playing international cricket. You want to play against the best in their home conditions and you get a real test. So we’re definitely looking forward to it and it’s going to be exciting for us,” he added.

Hope knows what it takes to score runs against India. The 32-year-old scored 988 runs in 26 ODIs against India at an average of 47, including three hundreds and five fifties.

His record in India is even better. Hope scored 741 runs in 14 ODIs in the country at an average of 74.1, with three hundreds and three fifties.

Asked about his success against India, Hope said adapting to different conditions was key.

“I take a lot of pride in trying to be the best I can be. One of the things is that you have to be able to adapt to different conditions and play against different opponents. It doesn’t always work out. Every day is not going to be your day.”

“But I’m really trying to focus on the fine details to give myself the best chance to score. Here in India you’re going to play differently than if you went to Australia or even back to the Caribbean. It’s just about being very critical about the way you go about training and preparing.”

“That’s something I always try to put out there in the team rooms whenever we have our chats and discussions. Hopefully some of the guys will never be here before and get a good start to their Indian career. This is one tour you look forward to. When I was younger in my career, it was a tour I expected a lot from myself,” he added.

West Indies have not won an ODI series in India since 2002 when Carl Hooper’s side beat India 4-3 in the seven-match series.

Hope believes the record can provide extra motivation for his team.

“The hard reality is, almost every series we go into, those stats are always at the top of the list. We always say we haven’t beaten this team in 20 years or 15 years. It definitely adds motivation.”

“We know it’s going to be a tough fight, but we’re looking forward to it,” he said.

Hope has also backed the West Indies attack to make an impact on the tour, with Roston Chase, Gudakesh Moti and Vitel Lawes among the options.

“The spinners we have on this trip, with the experience of Ross and Moti, have played quite a few games and have had a big impact on the West Indies over the last few years. Obviously, Lawes comes into the game as if he’s been shown what he can do at this level.”

“So it’s a great sign that he can continue along those lines. But I expect him to continue to grow as a left-arm spinner, as a wrist spinner and he can be an asset to us going forward. We’re leaning on them here,” Hope concluded.

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