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West Indies produced a memorable all-round performance to beat India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Captain Shai Hope led the way with an unbeaten century before Keemo Paul ripped through India’s batting line-up with a five-wicket haul.
The victory brought the five-match series level at 2-2, setting up a thrilling decider at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.
Hope continued his outstanding run on the India tour, scoring 102 not out off 50 balls, including four boundaries and nine sixes. It was his fourth century on the tour, having already scored two hundreds in the ODI series and another in the T20I leg.
His knock helped West Indies post a massive 247/3 after being asked to bat first. India made a flying start to their chase through Sanju Samson’s 56 off 22 balls, but Paul’s five-wicket haul turned the game in the visitors’ favour. Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy offered some resistance with a 70-run partnership, but India eventually fell short.
Shai Hope Leads West Indies to 247/3 With Unbeaten Century
West Indies got off to a flying start after India elected to bowl first. Openers Shai Hope and Jewel Andrew attacked from the beginning, putting pressure on the Indian bowlers during the powerplay.
Jewel took 17 runs off Arshdeep Singh’s opening over, hitting two fours and a six. Mayank Yadav struggled in the third over, conceding 20 runs through boundaries and extras, including a no-ball and a wide.
Hope joined the attack, hitting Prince Yadav for a six and a four as West Indies crossed the 50-run mark in just 3.3 overs.
Axar Patel, playing his 200th international match, provided India with their first breakthrough. He trapped Jewel LBW for 21 off 16 balls, leaving West Indies at 52/1 in 4.2 overs.
However, India could not build on that wicket. Shimron Hetmyer came out swinging, hitting two fours and a six in Arshdeep’s final powerplay over. The left-arm pacer also conceded extras as West Indies raced to 79/1 after six overs.
Hetmyer continued his attack alongside Hope, and the pair brought up their 50-run partnership in just 20 balls. West Indies crossed the 100-run mark in 7.4 overs before Prince Yadav ended Hetmyer’s explosive innings.
Hetmyer scored 33 off just 12 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes, as West Indies reached 110/2 in 8.2 overs.
Hope Reaches Fifty as West Indies Accelerate
Hope kept the innings moving at the other end, reaching his half-century in 28 balls with a six off Mayank Yadav. Rovman Powell joined him at the crease, and the two looked to maintain the momentum.
Axar came under heavy attack in the 12th over, which went for 22 runs as Hope and Powell found the boundaries regularly. West Indies crossed 150 in 12 overs, putting India under increasing pressure.
Powell appeared to have found his rhythm after struggling for runs earlier in the series, but Arshdeep Singh broke the partnership before it could develop further. Powell edged the ball to Sanju Samson behind the stumps for 24 off 17 balls, leaving West Indies at 156/3 in 12.5 overs.
Hope continued to anchor the innings, with Sherfane Rutherford joining him. West Indies reached 177/3 after 15 overs, with Hope unbeaten on 76 and Rutherford providing support.
The scoring rate climbed again in the 17th over. Mayank conceded 22 runs as Rutherford struck two sixes and a four, while Hope also found the boundary. West Indies brought up 200 in 16.4 overs, with Mayank finishing his spell with figures of 0/52.
Arshdeep struggled again in the following over, conceding three wides and another six as West Indies continued to pile on the runs.
Hope eventually completed his century, finishing unbeaten on 102 off 50 balls, with four fours and nine sixes. Rutherford remained not out on 49 off 26 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes.
West Indies finished on 247/3, leaving India with a target of 248. Prince Yadav was India’s most economical wicket-taking option, finishing with figures of 1/36.
Sanju Samson’s Explosive Fifty Gives India a Flying Start
India began the chase in aggressive fashion, with Samson striking a boundary off the first ball. Roston Chase kept the damage limited in the remainder of the opening over, but Samson soon took charge.
He attacked Shamar Joseph in the second over, hitting a four followed by two successive sixes. Samson then went after Chase in the third over, collecting 25 runs with two fours and two sixes.
India crossed 50 in just three overs, putting the West Indies bowlers under immediate pressure.
Samson reached his half-century in only 19 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes. Abhishek Sharma, meanwhile, struggled to find his usual rhythm at the other end as Samson took responsibility for the early scoring.
The innings took a sharp turn when Keemo Paul struck twice in the fifth over. Samson departed for 56 off 22 balls, having hit six fours and four sixes, after Shimron Hetmyer took a fine catch. Paul then removed Ishan Kishan for six off three balls, with Jewel Andrew completing the catch at deep midwicket.
India slipped to 67/2 in 4.4 overs, losing two wickets just as the opening partnership had threatened to take the game away from West Indies.
Abhishek and captain Shreyas Iyer tried to steady the innings, taking India to 84/2 at the end of the powerplay. However, Shamar Springer removed Iyer for 16 off 11 balls, with Jewel taking another catch at deep point.
India reached 100 in 8.4 overs but lost another wicket soon afterwards. Abhishek, who had struggled to get going, departed for 24 off 29 balls after Springer took a fine catch. Gudakesh Motie then dismissed Naman Dhir for a golden duck, leaving India in trouble at 130/5 in 11.4 overs.
Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy Keep India’s Hopes Alive
With India losing wickets at regular intervals, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy had the difficult task of keeping the chase alive.
The pair built a 70-run partnership and gave India a chance of pulling off the chase. However, the required run rate continued to climb, and the two batters needed to accelerate.
Nitish found another gear in the 16th over, taking Shamar Joseph for two sixes and a four. The over brought India back into the contest, reducing the equation to 59 runs from 24 balls.
Tilak also played an important role in the recovery, but his innings ended in the 17th over. Romario Shepherd dismissed him for 43 off 25 balls, with Rovman Powell taking the catch. Tilak’s knock included two fours and three sixes, and India were left at 200/6.
Shamar Springer then bowled a tight 18th over, conceding just five runs and putting West Indies firmly in control. India needed 43 runs from the final two overs.
Keemo Paul Finishes With Five Wickets as West Indies Seal Win
Nitish briefly raised Indian hopes in the penultimate over, hitting a six after a wide. However, he failed to clear the boundary on his next attempt and was caught by Powell.
Nitish departed for 41 off 20 balls, with a four and four sixes. Paul struck again on the very next delivery, bowling Prince Yadav for a golden duck.
The fast bowler then removed Axar Patel for just three runs to complete his five-wicket haul. His figures of 5/41 proved decisive, as he repeatedly struck whenever India threatened to build momentum.
Arshdeep Singh was unable to continue after being hit on the arm, bringing India’s chase to an end and handing West Indies a 24-run victory.
Hope’s unbeaten century and Paul’s five-wicket haul gave the visitors a crucial win, ensuring the series will be decided in Bengaluru. With both teams having won two matches each, the fifth T20I promises to be a fitting finale to the series.
Brief Scores
WI: 247/3 (Shai Hope 102*, Sherfane Rutherford 49, Prince Yadav 1/36) beat India: 223/9 (Sanju Samson 56, Tilak Verma 43, Keemo Paul 5/41).