Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 15 (ANI): Following his side’s win over India in the fourth T20I, West Indies skipper and centurion Shai Hope spoke on his incredible performance during the tour, in which he has produced multiple ‘Player of the Match’ award-winning innings.Hope’s love affair with India continued as he scored his fourth ton of the India tour and fifth fifty-plus score in seven innings so far. He has won three ‘POTM’ awards so far. With the series level at 2-2 and the series decider set for October 17 in Bengaluru, Hope has a chance to add another fine knock and perhaps an individual award to his tally.He said, “To be honest, those (POTM trophies) were a bit heavy; we got to look at luggage weight. So I think we are gonna have some problems when I go back home with those Player of the Match awards. I am just trying to give the team the best chance. So as long as we lay that foundation at the start, we got a 50-plus opening partnership. So it was good for us to start innings and then obviously we got that foundation. You can express yourself a bit more in the middle period and then try to give the team the best finish as possible.”Hope admitted that 247 was a “decent score” and the surface was holding up a bit more than they thought, and the new ball was “kicking up a lot more” during the defence of 248 runs.”I honestly felt it was a decent score because the surface; it was actually holding a bit more than we thought initially. We felt as though the pitch would probably come on a bit better. But I found that with the new ball, some balls were kicking up a lot more and then some were staying down as well. So it is a bit too pace to start, and then obviously with the spinners and the quicks in the back end, it was a little bit more difficult to hit through the line. So I felt as though 240 plus was a decent score,” he said.The WI skipper is enjoying his best T20I year with 601 runs in 16 innings at an average of 50.08 and a strike rate of over 152, with two centuries and four fifties. Across all international cricket this year, he has made 1,336 runs in 29 matches and 30 innings at an average of 55.66, with a strike rate of 92.01, with five centuries and seven fifties.Hope is having an incredible run in India, being WI’s leading run-getter and overall second-highest run-getter in ODIs with 278 runs in three innings at an average of 139.00, with two centuries and a best score of 162* in the final ODI in Assam. With 261 runs in four innings and matches in the T20I leg, including two centuries and a fifty, Hope is the leading run-scorer in T20Is. Overall across seven innings, the WI skipper has made 539 runs at an average of 134.75, including four centuries and a fifty.The batter’s record against India across formats stands at 1,961 runs in 45 matches and 49 innings at an average of 47.82, with eight centuries and six fifties, with a best score of 162*.With this win, the series is level 2-2, with an exciting decider at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru set for October 17. While Hope (102* off 50 balls, with four boundaries and nine sixes) registered his fourth century of the India tour, including his second in the T20I leg, Keemo (5/41) got crucial wickets right from the start. For WI, Shimron Hetmyer (33 in 12 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Sherfane Rutherford (49* in 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes) also contributed important knocks with the bat, taking them to 247/3.After a fifty from Sanju Samson (56 in 22 balls, with six fours and four sixes), India found themselves playing the catch-up game. A 70-run stand between Tilak Varma (43 off 25 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 in 20 balls, with a four and four sixes) gave India hope; India’s hopes were dimmed with their dismissals. Arshdeep Singh retired hurt in the middle of the final over after a hit on his arm, leaving India 25 runs short of the target. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)