Hope is doing well without taking much risk: Samson

Sanju Samson single-handedly took over the PowerPlay as India stared at a daunting 248-run chase against the West Indies here.

He raced to a 20-ball half-century and looked primed to repeat the heroics at this venue from two years ago, when his century saw India fall just three short of the 300-run mark. But West Indies’ disciplined bowling did the job after Shai Hope’s unbeaten ton laid the foundation for the 24-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

After a string of dismissals left India in troubled waters, a resurgence from local boys Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar gave the home team hope before things eventually fell apart. “When Tilak and Nitish were batting, we were still in the game. That is a great thing to have even after losing five wickets... having that kind of control, two young cricketers taking on the pressure and taking on the West Indian bowling line-up,” Samson said after the fourth T20I.

The India opener rued that his own enterprising knock did not come in a winning cause. “I am actually a bit gutted. I definitely wanted to be on the winning side. When you are chasing a score like that, there are no second thoughts — you just have to back your instincts, power game, and that is what I did. So I really enjoyed the knock, but I would have liked to be on the winning side.”

While he felt stiff chases often render anchors obsolete, Samson lauded Hope for going against the grain and marshalling the Windies with big scores. “Hope is playing really well. We need to respect what he has been doing. He has been playing some really good cricketing shots, not taking that much risk, so he is respecting the bowlers as well.”