Had chills when Pant came out to bat: Hope
CHENNAI: When Rishabh Pant walked in at the fall of David Warner’s wicket in the first game against Punjab Kings, Shai Hope, the other batter in the middle, experienced ‘chills’.
“I was there when he walked out to bat and it gave me chills to see how the crowd reacted,” he tells this daily. “It was an away game for us but to see that... it’s great to see that he has recovered from that incident. Hopefully he can go from strength to strength and show the world what Pant has to offer.”
Hope, who made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in that game, takes this daily inside the franchise dressing room on the morning of Pant’s return to competitive cricket. “It was great, anytime you have a guy like him in the set-up, the mood is lifted thanks to his positive energy and the kind of character he is. I’m really happy to see him out there; it means a lot to cricket and Capitals.”
Even otherwise, the 30-year-old was compelled to talk about the atmosphere. “It could have been better if we had won the game,” he says. “But it was a really good experience (with the debut). Feeling the atmosphere, it’s completely different to seeing it on TV. It was nice to get out and see what it’s like.”
He was also fairly intimate with what the team management has told Hope this year. “Be yourself, there’s a reason why you are here. Be who you are as a batter or as a bowler.” In the first game, he was sandwiched between two ultra aggressive openers (David Warner and Mitchell Marsh) and Pant. Does that mean his role is that of an anchor? “You have to assess the conditions,” he said. “How you play depends on the situation of the game. Those guys are quality batters and to have them at the top, any bowler seeing them at the crease would give us an edge. It’s good to have such qualities. Hopefully the experience translates to solid runs and solid wins for the team.”
Speaking about team, when the conversation veered towards West Indies, Hope called the upcoming T20 World Cup at home a ‘great occasion’. “It’s a really big occasion for all of us, we have been playing well. I think we have won three of the last four series. All the players have been really putting the work. Hopefully, we can take in the momentum of the last few months into the World Cup and become the first team to win at home, that will be something (while Hope refused to divulge the plans the board has for the selected players, don’t be surprised if they fly back for a small camp before the tournament begins).
The Barbadian is at a unique vantage point when speaking about the sport in the Caribbean. Appointed as the 50-over skipper last year and with a new backroom staff to boot, he calls getting back up the ladder of world cricket ‘a challenging process. “It’s exciting to be part of what’s hopefully going to be a change in West Indies cricket from an ODI point of view,” he says. “We know the struggles that we have had for the last few years. Now, we just try to find ways to that improvement going. It’s always great to have a speedy turnover but sometimes, you have got to accept the fact that everything doesn’t happen overnight. You have to stay the course and keep finding ways to improve. We have to do that from top and from the bottom. Contributing to that I think is the biggest thing for me. Just find ways to help. Blessed to have the role. We can’t expect to become No. 1 overnight but the faster we can improve and the more consistent we can be with that improvement, we can see that the rankings will go up. It’s all about finding the best processes.”
The emergence of Shamar Joseph, who so thrillingly destroyed Australia in Brisbane in January, will help. “That was amazing,” Hope, who is more than willing to play red-ball cricket for the West Indies again (his last match was in 2021), says. “To see him do that in his first series, he can continue in the same way. If he can stay injury free, we have more of Shamar to see and that can only be a good thing.”