Skipper Shai Hope Takes Responsibility As West Indies Crash Out Of T20 World Cup
Owning the blame but praising Samson’s brilliance, Hope summed up Windies' World Cup exit as a night decided by dew, execution and smallest of margins.
Published : March 2, 2026 at 10:56 AM IST
By Meenakshi Rao
West Indies captain Shai Hope stood before the microphones at the end of a long night at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and did what leaders often must in defeat: He owned the questions, accepted the scrutiny, albeit with some rancour around his role in the defeat, and pointed to the fine lines that separate a campaign alive from one that ends.
India’s chase was headlined by a commanding innings from Sanju Samson, which Hope described simply as a case of a quality batter winning his duel. “He played well… it’s a good surface, especially at night here, and he’s a quality player. Sometimes the batter just gets the better of your bowlers — you must give credit for the innings he played,” Hope said, acknowledging how the conditions under lights in Kolkata tend to ease scoring.
The captain was candid about his own role with the bat in an innings that never quite found top gear. Asked if his tempo left 15–20 runs on the table, Hope did not dodge: “Yes — that’s my answer. Yes.” He elaborated that it was “a bit of both”— good balls and mistimed strokes — while admitting he struck fielders too often and never found the fluency he wanted at the top. “As a captain you want to set the tone… put your hand up. It didn’t happen today,” he said.
Even so, Hope resisted the idea that the platform itself was poor. West Indies were 45 without loss in the powerplay—short of the 65–70 they targeted, but a base nonetheless. “It’s always a game of small margins,” he said. “We had a platform set with the batting depth we have. Execution in the powerplay wasn’t as we wanted, but you take positives—Chase coming in for his first game opening and playing a really good innings.”
Conditions, too, tilted the contest. Hope pointed to the dew that so often defines night games at Eden Gardens. “Chasing is usually better here with the dew factor… I couldn’t win a toss,” he smiled ruefully, noting a run of poor luck that repeatedly put his side on the back foot. In those conditions, his attack leaned on Akeal Hosein’s powerplay control and Matthew Forde’s new-ball bursts – match-ups planned in advance, but harder to execute once the ball got wet and India’s left-right combinations settled.
When pressed on whether the defeat was to India or to Samson alone, Hope kept it in perspective. “He didn’t bat by himself, he was playing for India. But he gets an A-plus for the way he paced it, very smart and calculated,” he added.
There was acceptance but also resolve. Hope insisted the tournament had delivered tangible gains. “Our bowling was a lot better than previous series—powerplay wickets were outstanding. From a batting standpoint, Shimron Hetmyer at No. 3 did what he does best; a lot of batters contributed to the bigger totals.” He reeled off highlights: new-ball spells from Matthew Forde, control from Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, and a standout all-round showing from Shepherd, “a hat-trick and a fiver.” Fielding, he admitted, came in patches and remains an area to tighten.
As the post-mortem circled back to his own innings and the mental toll of elimination, Hope answered with disarming honesty and a hint of humour. “You all make me laugh… I’ll take the blame if that’s what you want me to say. I should have batted faster.” Then, more seriously: “I don’t think I was batting badly… I just didn’t get going today.”
West Indies leave the tournament with what their captain called “heads held high”, a side that found a sharper edge with the ball, uncovered reliable plans and match-ups, and learned, in Hope’s words, that at this level “one team has to win and it’s usually decided by very small margins,” he said.
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