IND v WI: Shimron Hetmyer credits Brian Lara as inspiration for ton in Guwahati

The 21-year-old bludgeoned his way to a 78-ball 106 in the first ODI against India in Guwahati

West Indies may have lost the first ODI to India by a huge margin in Guwahati but Shimron Hetmyer didn’t fail to impress his teammates and fans with his swashbuckling knock. The 21-year-old bludgeoned his way to a 78-ball 106 in the first ODI against India in Guwahati, redeeming himself after a disastrous Test series, in which he managed just 50 runs across four innings at 12.50.

Ahead of the second match in Vishakhapatnam on Wednesday, he revealed that he up looked up to the great Brian Lara and thanked him for continuously backing youngsters like him to "keep trying".

“I did look up to Brian Lara when I used to watch cricket, but most of it (shots) comes naturally to me. I am a natural stroke-player and try to play each ball on merit,” Hetmyer said during a chat after a training session.

“I have spoken to a few legends in the past, they are quite fun actually, easy going -- Lance Gibbs, Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara, Some of the other stars, too. Knowing that they are backing you makes me feel good,” he said.

“They tell me to be 'just be yourself', they give suggestions like play each ball on merit and all. They try to help in every way possible, make it as easy as possible for us and encouraging us to keep pushing,” he added.

At the Barsapara Stadium, the Guyanese looked a far cry from his struggles in the Tests, nonchalantly hitting six sixes and as many fours, his knock also adding a dash of the Caribbean flavour of the good old days.