Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten century as West Indies beat India by 24 runs in the fourth IND vs WI T20I. Keemo Paul then ripped through India’s batting order with a five-wicket haul to keep the series alive. The win sets up a series decider in Bengaluru.
West Indies posted 247/3 after being asked to bat. India made a strong start in the chase but lost wickets at regular intervals. They were eventually bowled out for 223 in 19.3 overs.
IND vs WI Hope leads West Indies’ charge
Hope wasted little time getting going. He found support from Jewel Andrew, who returned to the side after recovering from injury. The pair attacked India’s pace bowlers and put the hosts under pressure in the Powerplay.
West Indies raced to 79/1 in the first six overs, their highest Powerplay score against India in T20Is. Hope controlled the innings with clean hitting and sharp placement. He punished anything overpitched and cleared the ropes with ease.
Axar Patel broke the opening stand, but the wickets did little to slow West Indies. Shimron Hetmyer came out swinging, while Rovman Powell added quick runs in the middle overs.
Hope kept the scoring rate high. Sherfane Rutherford joined the attack late in the innings and took 22 runs off Mayank Yadav’s final over. West Indies crossed 200 with plenty of deliveries left.
Hope reached his century off the final ball of the innings. He finished unbeaten on 102 from 50 balls, while Rutherford struck 49. West Indies ended on 247/3, giving India a steep target.
IND vs WI: Sanju Samson gives India a flying start
India came out aggressively in reply. Sanju Samson attacked Roston Chase from the first over, while Abhishek Sharma struggled to get much of the strike.
Samson kept finding the boundary. India raced to 50 without loss inside three overs, putting the West Indies bowlers under immediate pressure.
Keemo Paul changed the game with his first delivery. He used a short ball and smart field placement to dismiss Samson’s opening partner, before removing Ishan Kishan in the same over.
India suddenly lost their momentum. Abhishek managed 29 off 24 balls, while Shreyas Iyer made 16 from 11. Naman Dhir fell for a first-ball duck, leaving the hosts needing another partnership.
IND vs WI: Tilak and Nitish revive the chase
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India a lifeline. Both batters found their rhythm and took on the West Indies attack. They added 70 runs in just 5.2 overs.
But West Indies struck again just as the partnership threatened to take the game away. The dismissals of Tilak and Nitish left India with too much to do in the closing overs.
Paul returned to finish the job. His changes of pace troubled the lower order, and India could not find a way to keep the chase alive.
Paul seals a crucial West Indies win
Paul finished with figures of 5/41, while Gudakesh Motie chipped in with 2/13. Their spells ensured India’s late push came to nothing.
Samson top-scored for India with 56, while Tilak contributed 43. But India’s middle-order collapse proved costly.
West Indies secured a 24-run victory. The result levels the series and sends both sides to Bengaluru for the decider.
IND vs WI Brief scores
West Indies: 247/3 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 102*, Sherfane Rutherford 49; Axar Patel 1/45, Prince Yadav 1/36)
India: 223 all out in 19.3 overs (Sanju Samson 56, Tilak Varma 43; Keemo Paul 5/41, Gudakesh Motie 2/13)
Result: West Indies won by 24 runs.
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