After playing fighting cricket throughout the last three weeks, the West Indies were knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after suffering a five-wicket loss to India in the Super 8 match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, where Indian opener Sanju Samson slammed a blistering 50-ball 97.
In what was a virtual quarterfinal clash against the hosts India, the visitors put up a competitive 195 runs on the board after being asked to bat first. West Indies went with a different opening pair, with skipper Shai Hope partnering Roston Chase at the top, dropping Brandon King. While Chase ensured a confident start for the visitors, it was Hope who struggled against the Indian attack with the new ball.
He managed 32 off 33 balls, with his strike rate below 100 in a must-win game. However, fighting knocks from Jason Holder and Rovman Powell helped West Indies reach 195. The target proved insufficient against Samson, who played one of the greatest knocks in a chase, helping India record their highest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history.
Hope took the blame upon himself when asked about his batting and whether he felt the West Indies fell 15–20 runs short. He responded, “Yes – that’s my answer. Yes.”
Assessing his own innings, Hope said, “Sometimes you just don’t get the ball away. As much as you would love to come and hit every single ball for six, it doesn’t happen. I hit a few straight to fielders as well, so it doesn’t help.”
“And I thought they bowled pretty well, to be fair, but again – it’s something you want to be better at, especially at the top of the innings. You want to set the tone as a batter, and even as a captain. Especially when you’re leading – you want to put your hand up, but it didn’t happen today,” added Hope.
‘You all make me laugh’
Hope was pressed hard by the press after the match, questioned on whether he felt responsible for the loss. To which Hope replied, “You all make me laugh, man. Yes, I’ll take the blame if that’s what you want me to say. I should have batted a lot faster. That’s what you wanted me to say. But in situations like this, when you’re struggling, everyone struggles. But like I said, I don’t think I was batting badly. It’s just that I was hitting the fielders and then trying to play the situation a bit more. Obviously, I wanted to bat a little bit deeper into the innings and face most of the spin threat in the middle. But I just didn’t get going today. But yes, I’ll take the blame. So that’s what you want me to say.”
The West Indies skipper also praised Samson for his incredible knock. “He played really well, he’s a good player. And it’s also a good surface. Especially at night time when you’re chasing on a pitch like this at Eden Gardens, it’s usually easier to score freely. But taking nothing away from him, like I said, he’s a quality player. He’s been playing really well for so many years now, and it’s one of those things – the batter just gets the better of our bowlers. It’s part of the game as well. You must give credit for the innings that he played today,” said Hope.
