West Indies produced a stunning batting performance to beat India by six wickets in the second T20I in Ranchi on Friday, October 9, and level the five-match series 1-1. Chasing a massive target of 250 runs, the visitors reached 252/4 in just 18.3 overs, registering a record successful run chase against India in T20I cricket.
Captain Shai Hope led the charge with an unbeaten 102 off just 45 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford smashed 84 from 37 deliveries. The duo took the game away from India with a 120-run partnership for the fourth wicket, turning a difficult chase into a memorable West Indies victory.
Earlier, India posted a huge 249/5 after being asked to bat first. Sanju Samson top-scored with an attacking 82 off 41 balls, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma also made valuable contributions. However, India’s bowlers struggled to defend the total despite Mayank Yadav’s impressive spell.
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Sanju Samson Leads India’s Explosive Start
India got off to a flying start after West Indies captain Shai Hope won the toss and chose to bowl. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma attacked from the beginning, putting together 42 runs in just four overs.
Abhishek scored 20 off 12 balls before losing his wicket, but Samson continued to put pressure on the West Indies bowlers. The wicketkeeper-batter struck nine fours and four sixes during his 82-run knock off 41 deliveries.
Samson brought up his half-century inside the powerplay, joining an elite group of Indian batters to achieve the feat in T20 internationals. Abhishek Sharma and Rohit Sharma have also scored T20I fifties within the first six overs.
Abhishek, meanwhile, added another record to his name. His six in the opening over took his tally to 14 sixes hit in the first over of T20Is, the most among players from ICC Full Member nations. Ireland’s Paul Stirling and West Indies batter Evin Lewis follow him with 13 each.
Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer And Tilak Varma Keep The Runs Flowing
Ishan Kishan continued India’s attacking approach after coming in at number three. He scored 43 off 22 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes, and took his tally of T20I sixes in 2026 to 51.
Kishan moved into fourth place on the list of players from ICC Full Member nations with the most sixes in T20Is in a calendar year. Suryakumar Yadav leads the chart with 68 sixes in 2022, followed by Abhishek Sharma, who hit 63 in 2026 and 54 in 2025.
Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma then added more firepower to India’s innings. Iyer smashed 40 off 18 balls, while Tilak remained unbeaten on 44 from just 18 deliveries. Both batters struck three fours and three sixes.
Tilak finished in style, hitting three consecutive sixes in the final over as India raced to 249/5 in their 20 overs. It was India’s highest T20I total against West Indies, surpassing their previous best of 244, scored in the United States in 2016.
Mayank Yadav Strikes Twice In The Opening Over
West Indies needed 250 runs to win, but Mayank Yadav gave India an early boost with his pace. The fast bowler dismissed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer off consecutive deliveries in the opening over, leaving the visitors in trouble.
Mayank continued to trouble the batters with his speed and picked up his third wicket by dismissing Rovman Powell in the sixth over. Powell made 24 off 13 balls before being bowled by a delivery clocked at 149.5 kmph.
At 58/3, West Indies had a steep task ahead. But Hope and Rutherford had other plans, launching a remarkable counterattack that changed the course of the match.
Shai Hope And Sherfane Rutherford Turn The Game Around
Hope and Rutherford took on the Indian bowlers with a steady stream of boundaries and sixes. Rutherford was particularly aggressive, hammering seven sixes and seven fours in his 84-run innings off 37 balls.
Hope matched him stroke for stroke and brought up a stunning century. He remained unbeaten on 102 off 45 balls, with nine sixes and six fours, as the pair added 120 runs for the fourth wicket.
Rutherford’s dismissal briefly gave India some hope, but the West Indies captain stayed until the end to complete the chase. The visitors reached 252/4 in 18.3 overs, sealing a six-wicket win and drawing level in the series.
Mayank finished with three wickets for India, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed one. However, the rest of the bowling attack could not contain the West Indies batters, who made light work of a target that looked daunting at the halfway stage.
The teams will now turn their attention to the third T20I, with the series level at 1-1.