There is a particular kind of frustration Indian cricket fans know too well. A series begins, an opposition batter finds his feet, and before long, getting him out becomes next to impossible. He keeps batting and batting until the tour is over, and even then, the memory of him batting on, seemingly without end, lingers.

Over the past year, Joe Root has had that effect on India, scoring 537 runs in nine innings during their Test series in England. Sonal Dinusha did something similar during India’s tour of Sri Lanka, his 420-minute, unbeaten 133 helping secure a draw after he had already scored two hundreds in the series. And who can forgetVirat Kohli nudging Daryl Mitchell away after the New Zealander averaged 176 across three ODIs in India last year, suggesting, “We’ve seen enough of you”?

Shai Hope recently gave India a similar dose of déjà vu. The West Indies captain finished his white-ball visit with four hundreds in seven innings, becoming only the third visiting batter, after Everton Weekes and Tillakaratne Dilshan, to make as many hundreds on a single tour of India.

Hope began with 104 in the Guwahati ODI before producing 162* off 143 in Chandigarh, leading West Indies to 352, their highest successful chase. He then made 52 in the first T20I in Lucknow before scoring two unbeaten 102s: one in Ranchi, helping West Indies overhaul 250 after losing two wickets in the first over, and another in Hyderabad, where they posted 247 in a 24-run victory.

The sight of Hope raising his bat against India had begun a year earlier, in New Delhi, when he scored 103 for his first Test hundred in eight years. Asked to follow on, Hope and opener John Campbell mounted a resounding fightback and forced India to bat again, even though the match eventually ended in defeat for West Indies. He followed that with a 140 in his very next Test at Christchurch. After being bowled out for 167 in the first innings and set 531 to win, West Indies looked out of the contest, but Hope’s resistance helped secure an unlikely draw.

Back in 2017, Hope had scored 147 and 118* at Headingley, becoming the first batter to make two first-class hundreds in a match at the ground. He averaged 45.5 in Tests that year, and West Indies appeared to have found a long-term red-ball mainstay. Instead, he went his next 40 innings without a hundred, averaging 18.71. He was eventually dropped from the side in 2021 before making a remarkable comeback last year.

Since October 2025, he has three hundreds in 15 innings, as compared to two earlier from 78 outings. Hope's ODI record has long been his strongest credential, but in the last year, his stocks have skyrocketed. He is scoring faster - with a strike rate of 95.95 as compared to a career rate of 80.82 - while maintaining the consistency that has defined his ODI career.

T20Is have brought another transformation. His 794 runs in the last year have come at a strike rate of 148.68, with two hundreds. All three of his T20I centuries have come since the start of January 2025. Before this period, he struck at 137.65, indicating his all-round growth.

Speaking on Wisden’s The Scoop, Hope explained how his approach has evolved: “I just tried to look at the mental side of the game more so than the actual physical side.” He has also learnt to trust his strengths rather than become consumed by his weaknesses. Reflecting on his past struggles in Test cricket, he said: “A lot of times we tend to focus on the problem so much that we're driving ourselves into a deeper hole.”

For the West Indies, Hope’s rise comes at a crucial time. Financial pressures, pay cuts and the pull of franchise cricket have complicated the task of keeping leading players committed to the national side. Discussing the monetary realities facing cricketers, Hope acknowledged: “The reality is cricket is no longer just recreational; there's a business side to it as well, and you've got to feed your family.”

Yet he stressed that representing the West Indies remains deeply meaningful to him. “Once I put on that crest, I always have a different energy and a different love for the game,” he said. As a rare regular across all three formats and the white-ball captain, Hope offers continuity in a team that has often had to rebuild. He also sees a responsibility to inspire the next generation, believing current players must carry forward the legacy of West Indies cricket through their performances and their work beyond the field.

Hope’s importance to West Indies extends beyond his performances on the field, but his recent form also puts him in a wider conversation about the world’s best all-format batters.

In the last 12 months, 13 batters have averaged at least 40 in Tests after playing a minimum of five matches. In ODIs, 19 batters from Full Member nations have averaged at least 50 after playing five matches, while 15 batters have struck at 145 or better in T20Is after facing at least 300 balls. Only two appear on all three lists: Harry Brook and Hope, showing how rare it is to sustain high standards across formats in the current era.

Other players also have a claim to being among the world’s best, but each of them have their caveats. Shubman Gill is a leading candidate in Tests and ODIs, but does not play T20Is. Travis Head has produced some of the most destructive innings across formats, but is prone to inconsistency. Ben Duckett was in the conversation not too long ago, but has since fizzled out, while Daryl Mitchell is also in the mix but has scored only one Test hundred in the last three years. Brook is the most obvious contender now following his 202 against England, which made him one of two players to have a Test triple, an ODI double and a T20I hundred.

But Hope, despite his established ODI record and recent resurgence in the other two formats, rarely receives the same attention. The title of the world’s best all-format batter is difficult to claim whenso few players manage to excel in all three. Hope may not be the first name that comes to mind, but he makes a compelling case for the hipster’s choice: the less obvious pick in a conversation dominated by bigger names. Perhaps it is time to look beyond the usual suspects and give him the recognition his cricket deserves.

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