Shai Hope delivered a masterclass with an unbeaten 102 to guide the West Indies to a decisive 24-run win over India on Wednesday, successfully leveling the five-match T20 series at 2-2. The visitors put on a formidable batting display at the crease, posting a total of 247-3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Hope’s exceptional knock included nine sixes and four fours, marking his third T20 century—the highest tally for a West Indies batter. His efforts helped set the second-highest first-innings total ever recorded against India in T20s, trailing only England’s 257-3 achieved in Southampton earlier this year. With this performance, Hope also became just the fifth player to register multiple hundreds in a single bilateral T20 series. Overall, it was his fourth hundred in seven innings across ODIs and T20s on this tour.
After India won the toss and elected to field, Hope provided an explosive start, sharing a 52-run stand off 26 balls with Jewel Andrew, who contributed 21 before falling to Axar Patel. Despite reaching 79-1 during the powerplay, the West Indies maintained their momentum. Hope added 58 runs in just 24 deliveries with Shimron Hetmyer, before Sherfane Rutherford joined the fray to score 49 not out off 26 balls. The duo combined for a vital 91-run partnership in only 43 balls to push the score well past 200. Reaching 50 off 28 balls with the help of five sixes, hope then added another 58 off 24 balls with Shimron Hetmyer. Despite Prince Yadav sending back Hetmyer for 33, while Rovman Powell scored 24, he wasn’t finished.
In their response, India’s chase struggled to find stability. Although Sanju Samson provided a blistering start with 56 off 23 balls, his dismissal triggered a collapse that left the side reeling at 130-5. India eventually finished on 223 all out with three balls remaining. It finished with 223 in 19.3 overs.
Keemo Paul proved to be the standout performer with the ball, claiming 5-41 to secure his second five-wicket haul in the format. Paul was particularly clinical in the 19th over, where he dismissed three batters to effectively seal the victory.
The Indian batting lineup faced consistent pressure throughout the innings. Abhishek Sharma, who scored 29 off 24 balls, was dismissed by Gudakesh Motie in the 12th over—a moment widely considered the turning point of the chase. Motie also accounted for Naman Dhir, who departed for a golden duck. He and Abhishek Sharma (29) added 60 off 25 balls as India scored 80-2 in the powerplay.
Earlier, Tilak Varma attempted to anchor the innings with a hard-fought 43 off 25 balls, supported by a rapid 41 from 20 deliveries by Nitish Reddy, but their combined efforts were insufficient to bridge the gap. Skipper Shreyas Iyer also failed to make a significant impact, falling for 16 runs. And was down to 97-3, india also lost skipper Shreyas Iyer (16) before the halfway mark.
The two sides are now set to head to Bengaluru, which will host the series-deciding final T20 on Saturday.
