West Indies break defending woodoo against India

The freshly laid Hyderabad pitch unfurled another run-fest but West Indies’ bowlers snatched control at vital junctures in India’s pursuit of 248, giving an elusive win for a team defending a total on this tour. No prizes for guessing at this point, Shai Hope peeled off another century, a sterling knock which outdid the fiery cameos of Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy.

Samson was graceful in defeat, commending Hope who is enjoying a purple patch on India tour. “Hope is playing really well, we need to respect what he has been doing,” said Samson. “He has been playing some really good cricketing shots, not taking that much risk, so he is respecting the bowlers as well. We need to give the credit to him for the way he is batting and we were definitely switched on how to respond to him every game,” he added.