West Indies leveled the T20I series against India in a high-scoring encounter at the newly prepared Hyderabad pitch, clinching a 24-run victory. The win marks a historic achievement, as it is the first time the Caribbean side has successfully defended a total in an Indian T20I, ending a streak of six previous unsuccessful attempts. But West Indies’ bowlers snatched control at separate points in India’s pursuit of 247, giving a rare win for a team defending a total on this tour, the newly laid Hyderabad pitch laid out another run-filled story. Crunching a clean six off Arshdeep Singh’s second ball, the teenager kickstarted West Indies’ boundary fest. But Shimron Hetmyer took little time to get going, picking out an under-the-pump Arshdeep Singh’s slot offerings, axar Patel’s entry in the Powerplay gave India a breakthrough.
Opting to bat first, the visitors reached 247/3 in their 20 overs. Shai Hope led the charge with a spectacular unbeaten 102 off 50 deliveries, marking his fourth century of the tour. Supported by Jewel Andrew and later Sherfane Rutherford, who contributed 49, West Indies set a challenging target. Their explosive start saw them reach 79/1 during the Powerplay, a record high against India. West Indies maintained momentum throughout the innings, with standout hitting against Axar Patel and Mayank Yadav, who both conceded significant runs during their spells. And Hope quickly leaned into his red-hot form to unfurl his fourth ton of this tour, a 17-run over set the tempo. But overdid it at times: one particular bouncer flew over Samson’s head, mayank Yadav tried to pepper them with early pace. With a patchy outfield, West Indies relied heavily on clearing the boundary, racing to 79 for 1 – their highest T20I Powerplay score against India. Accessing the ‘V’ like he always does, and using his wrists and timing to hoick balls on the leg-side, hope was ruthless to anything too full and hittable. Naman Dhir, among the wickets so far, ran into a negative matchup against Hope, giving 19 runs in his solitary over.
India’s chase began aggressively, fueled by Sanju Samson’s 56, as the hosts raced to 50/0 within the first three overs. However, the momentum shifted once West Indies’ bowlers adapted to the surface. Keemo Paul proved lethal in the death overs, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 41. Despite a resilient 70-run partnership between Tilak Varma (43) and Nitish Reddy, the middle order stagnated, with India managing only 32 runs off 31 short-pitched deliveries.
Abhishek Sharma struggled to find his rhythm, scoring 29 off 24 balls, while Shreyas Iyer added 16 off 11 before falling. Naman Dhir was dismissed for a first-ball duck, further stalling the chase. The tactical use of clever changeups by Paul and a restrictive spell by Gudakesh Motie (2 for 13) left India’s tail-enders with an insurmountable task, resulting in an all-out effort of 223/9 in 19.3 overs.
The victory ensures that the series now heads to Bengaluru for the final deciding match. Players and observers noted that the pitch proved difficult to negotiate at times, characterized by uneven bounce, which the West Indian bowlers utilized more effectively than their Indian counterparts.
