Hope commendably translated those oscillating numbers into a tremendous run on his next tour, averaging 150+ with two unbeaten centuries. Now, there are others in Hope’s position from 2018, looking to make a dent as first-timers in India.
Much like the numbers from Hope’s maiden India visit, West Indies cricket oscillated radically between the good and bad. “Consistency is the biggest thing for us. We’ve seen great sparks from different series and from different people in West Indies cricket,” Hope admitted. “It’s about repeating that, trying to get those performances rather than one or two games, just try to extend that for two, three, four series”.
Recent numbers betray that inability. Since 2025, they have played seven bilateral series and won only one. It puts their win percentage in that period at 27.27, the second lowest in the world. Ranked tenth in the world, West Indies haven’t qualified for the World Cup automatically. Naturally, the contrast against top-ranked India cannot be more evident.
| Team |
Mat |
Won |
Lost |
NR |
Win% |
| New Zealand |
31 |
23 |
8 |
0 |
74.19 |
| India |
23 |
16 |
7 |
0 |
69.57 |
| Afghanistan |
13 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
61.54 |
| South Africa |
20 |
11 |
9 |
0 |
55.00 |
| Sri Lanka |
19 |
9 |
9 |
1 |
47.37 |
| Australia |
20 |
9 |
10 |
1 |
45.00 |
| Pakistan |
23 |
10 |
13 |
0 |
43.48 |
| Bangladesh |
23 |
10 |
13 |
0 |
43.48 |
| England |
22 |
9 |
13 |
0 |
40.91 |
| Zimbabwe |
11 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
36.36 |
| West Indies |
22 |
6 |
14 |
2 |
27.27 |
| Ireland |
10 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
20.00 |
“You know it’s cricket, you are not going to always have the best of times, but the more consistent we can be in the way we go about our cricket, I think we’ll find a lot more success,” Hope said.
“Consistent performance will keep us in good stead for the preparation for the World Cup. Hopefully we can get through the Qualifiers as well. I just think the consistency factor will allow us to be a lot better as a team going forward in the ODI”.
For Hope, the India tour prepares you like few others. “It’s a great opportunity,” Hope said. “But first, we need to make that World Cup. We’ve got to go to the Qualifiers, unfortunately. But playing India in their backyard is always a challenge. It’s one that we definitely need to grasp and embrace”.
Hope calls it a “great indicator” for where they stand as a team. “When you’re playing internationally, you want to play against the best. When you’ve got India in home conditions, then you get a real test”.
The great divide is not just a present-day contrast; West Indies come with historical baggage too. Not since 2002 have they won an ODI series in India. After 2006, India have clinched each of the 13 series between the two.
“The harsh reality is almost every series that we go into, those stats are always at the top of the list,” Hope admits. “We always say we haven’t beaten this team in 20 years or 15+ years. So that means when we are taking our strides, we must be doing something right. So, you can talk about not automatically qualifying for the World Cup, but certainly some of the strides that we make as a team is definitely commendable”.
Through all of it, Hope doesn’t lose sight of pragmatism. Reversing the long-standing statistical blot is a definite “added motivation” for him, but also a “tough, uphill battle”.
For the tourists, an obvious weakness is at the top. , and while his switch has come with its own benefits, it has left the West Indies unsettled top half. Since the 2023 World Cup, West Indies openers have the lowest average (23.4) among all teams. The chaos is highlighted with them using eight different opening batters, and 11 separate pairs.
Opening batters in ODIs post World Cup 2023
| Team |
Mat |
Runs |
Avg |
SR |
100s |
| India |
29 |
2496 |
48.94 |
97.95 |
7 |
| South Africa |
32 |
2650 |
44.91 |
94.44 |
8 |
| Afghanistan |
27 |
2147 |
41.28 |
85.09 |
7 |
| Australia |
31 |
1984 |
34.2 |
104.2 |
5 |
| Sri Lanka |
37 |
2342 |
33.94 |
88.71 |
5 |
| New Zealand |
37 |
2379 |
33.04 |
85.94 |
3 |
| England |
33 |
2154 |
32.63 |
100.65 |
3 |
| Bangladesh |
35 |
2147 |
31.57 |
89.75 |
2 |
| Ireland |
18 |
965 |
31.12 |
78.96 |
2 |
| Pakistan |
32 |
1860 |
31 |
86.71 |
3 |
| Zimbabwe |
23 |
1190 |
27.67 |
76.28 |
3 |
| West Indies |
37 |
1638 |
23.4 |
84.17 |
2 |
Hope admits there is a desperate requirement to adapt better: “Here in India, you’re going to play differently as to Australia or even in the Caribbean. It’s about being very critical of the training and preparation. That’s something I want to put out there in the team rooms”.
Aside from Hope and Keacy Carty, none of their core batting group has played 30+ ODIs yet. For a 29-year-old Amir Jangoo or a 19-year-old Jewel Andrew, still new in the West Indies kit, it’s chance to give “a good start to their India career”, as Hope says. Jangoo, in particular, turned heads with his Test double-century against Sri Lanka in June, the sort of gritty, hard-to-move style West Indies has looked around for. And, with a reinvented Hope playing alongside him in the middle order, there can be no better support from within.
Their bowling poses a stabler look. Jayden Seales has been promising since his U19 days, but he’s finally hitting the right notes in ODIs too. Alzarri Joseph and Matthew Forde both ended CPL 2026 as one of four joint-highest wicket-takers.
The spin attack has only added more layers in the last few months. Gudakesh Motie had an excellent T20 World Cup earlier this year and was their standout bowler in the New Zealand ODIs. Alongside Roston Chase, there’s now the exciting Vitel Lawes, all of 19 with a standout CPL season in his pocket, right after he had a cracking debut in New Zealand.
It all needs to come together though. Their best bits can’t be far and fleeting. “We found ourselves in some very bright sparks, and you get some extraordinary performances, whether it’s from a bowling standpoint or from a batting perspective, but you never see it as consistent as you want to,” Hope admitted. “Let’s say the first game of the series, you have an exceptional game, but then the next one, you don’t tend to follow it up”.
It was probably a nod to the New Zealand series, where they slipped from a 1-0 series lead to lose three in a row. After a one-wicket heartbreak in the fourth ODI, Jangoo felt West Indies “did not deserve to play the World Cup qualifiers”.
But that’s where the reality lies. An imposing India challenge doesn’t give them any chance to relent, but Hope’s West Indies are slowly hoping to claw back. Step by step, steered by self-reflection, but without the compromise of dreaming big.
“I think we’ve bridged the gap by 19-20 points or so from the eighth or ninth ranked team,” Hope said.
“So, we are showing signs, but if you want to be the best, No.1, No.2, No.3, you’ve got to do it more consistently”
