India came close to a breakthrough but luck was not on their side. Just before the lunch break on the fourth day of the second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, Shai Hope survived a bizarre scare of hitting a wicket.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled a looping leg-break at 78.1km/h, turned sharply, bounced well and pitched in just the right spot to trouble the West Indies batsman number four. The ball hit Cy Hope’s pads, then grazed his hands, then rolled dangerously past leg stump without hitting the bails.
Shai Hope overcomes freak hit-wicket scare as India miss big chances on day four
It was one of those rare moments when the Hopes were lucky and India were unlucky, with an important wicket slipping from their hands in a highly unusual fashion. Hope’s quick reflexes and good luck gave him the lifeline to finish the century, eight runs shy of the milestone.
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After this moment, the reactions of Indian fielder KL Rahul and wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jhurel showed how the organizers felt about the missed opportunity at a crucial stage of the ongoing final Test.
— Click Talk (@crictalk7) October 13, 2025
Shai Hope ends 8-year wait to play against India, ends 100 years
Meanwhile, Shai Hope made the most of the lifeline he was given before the lunch break in the fourth day of the Delhi Test against India. Hope, in a sense, reached triple figures when he hit Mohammed Siraj’s length ball outside off-stump, which was kept low, against the third-man fence.
It was the West Indies star’s first century in eight years. His last red-ball hundred came against England in 2017 with back-to-back centuries, and this is his third Test hundred overall. Hope’s tone comes at a crucial time for West Indies, whose final Test against India continues.
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The touring side looked to be in serious jeopardy after India forced a follow-up, but John Campbell, who also hit a great century alongside Hope, brought them back into the match. Hope took off his helmet to celebrate the milestone but is focused on continuing his innings and increasing his team’s runs against India.
However, Hope was unable to maintain his momentum and could only add three points before succumbing to Mohamed Siraj. He outfoxed a delivery a length behind near the stumps. The ball was kept low and the inside edge rattled the stumps.
John Campbell and Shai Hope make history in the two-century war with India
It is the first time in centuries that two batsmen have hit in the same innings for West Indies against India, since Dimuth Karunaratne (141) and Kusal Mendis (110) achieved the feat against Colombo in 2017.
Thanks in part to the efforts of Campbell and Hope, the West Indies were able to avoid losing an innings for the first time in 11 Tests when they were forced to continue playing. The last time they avoided a crushing defeat was in 2013, when they drew against New Zealand in Dunedin.
West Indies showed incredible resilience under the pressure of the ongoing Delhi Test and achieved some rare milestones. For the first time since January 2023, he batted over 80 overs in both Test innings. This feat was achieved after 22 Tests.