West Indies pulled off a record-breaking 250-run chase against India in the second T20I at Ranchi, clinching a comprehensive six-wicket victory. Despite suffering an early jolt with two wickets falling inside the opening over, West Indies skipper Shai Hope stood tall at the crease. Opening the batting, Hope anchored the entire innings with composure and sheer power, staying unbeaten till the end to guide his side across the finish line in just 18.3 overs. He crafted a stunning knock of 102 not out off 45 deliveries to complete an extraordinary turnaround.
A Clever Social Media Callback to Shubman Gill
Following the memorable triumph, Shai Hope took to Instagram to post a picture of himself along with the caption '250? Cool'. The witty caption quickly became a talking point across cricket circles. This post served as a direct reaction to Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, who had shared a similar update earlier in the tour. During the second ODI between the two sides, India had chased down a mammoth target of 406 runs with 8 wickets in hand, powered by Gill's unbeaten double hundred of 223 runs. Following that win, Gill had shared his photo captioned '406? Cool'. Hope turned the tables by echoing the exact phrasing after leading his team to a 250-run chase in the shortest format.
Equalling Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis in Century Tally
Hope brought up his century in dramatic fashion with a match-winning six. With this innings, he joined an elite group of West Indian cricketers, drawing level with Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis for the most centuries for West Indies in Men's T20 Internationals. All three batters now hold 2 centuries each in the format for the Caribbean side.
Second Fastest T20I Century for West Indies
In addition to matching the century aggregate, Hope also etched his name into the record books by registering the second-fastest century in T20 Internationals for the West Indies. The record for the fastest T20I ton for the Caribbean side is held by Evin Lewis, who reached the triple-figure mark in 39 deliveries. Hope's 45-ball century now sits proudly in second position on that prestigious leaderboard.
