'Enjoyed my debut, would have loved to have sealed it with win': Shai Hope

With a 25ball 33 studded with two boundaries and two sixes Shai Hope made an immediate impact for Delhi Capitals DC in his debut match in IPL 2024 a fourwicket defeat to Punjab Kings in Mullanpur Mohali on SaturdayThough the 30yearold righthanded batter from Barbados was satisfied with his performance and said his team did well in patches he would have loved it if Delhi Capitals had won their opening match on SaturdayWith Shai Hope contributing 33 at the top and Abishek Porel hammering a 10ball 32 at the back end Delhi Capitals reached a competitive 1749 in 20 overs despite a stumble in the middle Punjab Kings however chased the target reaching 1776 in the final overThough they lost the match there were some positives for them like their fightback to cross 170 after losing a couple of quick wickets in the middle part of the inningsFirst day I would have loved the win to seal my IPL debut But I thought that the guys played great cricket in patches especially with the bat to find ways to get up to that 170 mark But again we didnt kick on as batters to really explode in the back end to give us a bigger total Shai Hope told IANS in an exclusive interview over the phone from Jaipur where the Delhi Capitals will be playing their second match against Rajasthan Royals on ThursdayI thought that the conditions there at Mullanpur I think it was a new ground So conditions were a little bit unfamiliar for most of the guys but still felt as though we were a few runs short And then in the bowling department we didnt execute as well as we wanted to but it was still great to see that We put up a lovely fight there at the back endThe bowlers fought their heart out to give us the best chance to win the game But the atmosphere was amazing Its slightly different from what you feel and see on TV So being there in the ground is a whole different vibe So happy to be out there and playing some IPL cricket said the West Indies ODI captainAlso ReadUnder the microscopeDelhi Capitals also lost some momentum when veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma got injured and went out of the field Ishant who had sent back PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan and effected the runout of Jonny Bairstow twisted his ankle while fielding and did not take further part in the matchYeah it was a big loss We understand how important he is in the Delhi Capitals team Hes such an asset with the ball and to lose him at that stage of the game put a little bit more pressure on Rishabh Pant as a skipper But again we cant control those things Its just an accident just the way how the world works But it was a bit unfortunate for us Im not going to say thats the reason why but yeah it was a big loss for us said HopePlaying his first match in IPL 2024 the West Indies whiteball expert also enjoyed the atmosphere of a franchise team with players from different parts of the world in the dressing roomHe loved the loud cheers as Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant walked out to bat Pant was making his comeback after recovering from a horrific car crash in December 2022 Shai Hope enjoyed that reception from the best position in the stadium from the creaseIt was amazing We all were so happy to see him out there after such a long time Like I was saying the world needs to see a Rishabh Pant and a fit Rishabh Pant and the atmosphere when he walked out to the crease because I was there at the crease as well I felt a different buz It was so loud Everyone welcomed him with open armsEven though it was an away game for us it felt as though he was walking into the middle of Delhi So Im sure that we all wish him well and its great to see that hes out there in the middle doing what he does because he looks in great touch Hes still playing well He has the same upbeat spirit behind him So he can only grow from strength to strength from here he saidHope who had scored a century in the ODI series against England in December said Delhi Capitals will need to kickon as batters tidy up in the field and execute a lot more with the bat to have as perfect a game as possible He hoped that things would fall in place from their next match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur as they have the skills and experience to do soWe can always improve There are always areas that you can improve on Whether you had or you think you had the best game ever you can always find ways to improve So we just need to kick on as batters when we get a start go big take it as deep as possible and then with the ball lets make sure we execute a lot moreAnd then obviously in the field we know we dropped a few chances just to clean up and tidy up in the field and try to get as close to a perfect game as possible And as long as we tick our boxes Im sure that with our skill and experience we will do well he addedDelhi Capitals take on Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday before returning to Visakhapatnam for the next two away home matches They play their remaining matches in New Delhi which is their actual home baseWith agency inputs