Wasim Jaffer reserved high praise for West Indies skipper Shai Hope following the side’s 24-run win over India at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Wednesday. The wicketkeeper-batter’s unbeaten 102 off 50 helped the visitors level the five-match series 2-2.

Hope has shown tremendous form on the tour, slamming four centuries across three ODIs and four T20Is. Jaffer noted that the 32-year-old was hailed as a Test batter early in his career due to his technical prowess.

He pointed out that Hope has since improved his white-ball game, proving his mettle in all three formats. Jaffer also suggested that not many would know that the top-order batter has 21 ODI centuries to his name.

The former India opener remarked in his latest YouTube video:

“He was initially considered a Test player because he is technically very good. But I think he has elevated his game a lot. He has so many centuries in ODIs as well. People don’t know that he has 20 hundreds. If you ask who watches cricket, he might not know that Shai Hope has 20 hundreds in ODIs. He has taken it to another level in T20 cricket this series.”

Notably, Hope is the leading century-maker for West Indies in T20Is with three tons. He is second on the list in ODIs, only behind Chris Gayle, who scored 25 hundreds in the format.

“A lot of the IPL teams will be very interested in him” – Wasim Jaffer on Shai Hope’s red-hot form

Wasim Jaffer feels many Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises would be keen to sign Shai Hope. He emphasized that being a wicketkeeper and a captaincy option makes him a valuable pick.

Hope went unsold at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He made his debut in the 2024 edition for Delhi Capitals, scoring 183 runs across nine innings at a strike rate of 150. The right-handed batter has yet to feature in the league since then.

Predicting an increase in demand for Hope among the IPL franchises, Jaffer added in the same video:

“A lot of the IPL teams will be very interested in him because he is also a wicketkeeper and a captaincy option. His T20 batting has gone up a notch. It’s not easy to be so consistent in T20 because you play such a high-risk game. But he already has two hundreds in four T20Is.”

The T20I series decider between India and West Indies will take place at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.