Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], October 10 (ANI): West Indies captain Shai Hope praised Roston Chase for his economical bowling spell against India in the second T20I that saw over 500 runs being scored cumulatively.
Roston Chase claimed 3/24 in four overs as India posted 249/5 in 20 overs at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on Friday. His wickets included opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored 20 off 12 balls, Ishan Kishan (43 off 22) and Shivam Dube (7 off 10).
Powered by Hope’s unbeaten 102 and contributions from Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd, West Indies chased down the target in 18.3 overs, finishing at 252/4 to level the five-match series 1-1.
Speaking after the match, Hope highlighted the difficulty of bowling in the conditions and credited Chase for restricting the scoring rate in the first innings.
“Amazing. On a surface and a field like this, to go out six runs and over is unbelievable. So he really kept us in the game. It was very difficult conditions to bowl on, so the way he bowled and kept us in the game made it a lot easier for us to chase that score,” he said.
After India posted 249/5 in 20 overs, powered by Sanju Samson’s 82 off 41 balls and contributions from Ishan Kishan (43), Shreyas Iyer (40) and Tilak Varma (44*), West Indies captain Shai Hope (102* off 45 balls) led the chase alongside Sherfane Rutherford, who scored 84 off 37 balls, and Romario Shepherd, who remained unbeaten on 34 off 13 deliveries. The visitors reached 252/4 in 18.3 overs to level the five-match series 1-1.
The victory gave West Indies their highest successful run chase in T20Is and marked the second-highest successful chase in the format, behind South Africa's pursuit of 259 against West Indies in Centurion in 2023.
Notably, while West Indies registered their highest successful run chase in T20Is, the visitors were in early trouble at 5/2 after Indian pacer Mayank Yadav dismissed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer off consecutive deliveries in the opening over. However, Hope steadied the innings with a 53-run partnership with Rovman Powell, followed by a 120-run stand with Sherfane Rutherford and a 74-run partnership with Romario Shepherd, guiding West Indies to a memorable victory.
Hope, who also won the Player of the Match award for his century, said West Indies knew the chase would be challenging after slipping to 5/2, but a partnership with Rovman Powell helped rebuild the innings before Sherfane Rutherford accelerated the scoring.
“(Thoughts at 5 for 2?) That it's going to be a tough chase, but once you chase here in India, you always give yourself a challenge. You always think you're in the game, regardless of what score is on the board, but 5 for 2 is always going to be challenging. (On the belief?) We got that partnership there with myself and Rovman. We just got some more impetus into the innings. And then obviously Sherfane came and did what he did,” he said. (ANI)
Shai Hope lauds Roston Chase’s economical spell as West Indies beat India in Ranchi T20I
