Shai Hope’s ۱۰۲ gives West Indies a ۲۴-run series-levelling win over India in fourth cricket T۲۰ as another record falls.
Published On ۱۴ Oct ۲۰۲۶
Shai Hope set a West Indies record by reaching ۱۰۲ not out as West Indies beat India by ۲۴ runs Wednesday in the fourth cricket T۲۰ to level the five-match series at ۲-۲.
Hope hit nine sixes and four fours in his third T۲۰ century – the most for a West Indies batter – as the visitors piled up ۲۴۷-۳ in ۲۰ overs. India had won the toss and opted to bowl.
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It was the second-highest first innings total in T۲۰s against India, trailing England’s ۲۵۷-۳ in Southampton this year.
In reply, Sanju Samson hit ۵۶ off ۲۳ balls but India was down to ۱۳۰-۵ and the chase never took off. It finished with ۲۲۳ in ۱۹.۳ overs.
Keemo Paul picked ۵-۴۱ for his second five-wicket haul in T۲۰s.
Bengaluru will host the deciding T۲۰ on Saturday.
Put into bat, Hope gave West Indies a flying by putting on ۵۲ off ۲۶ balls with Jewel Andrew (۲۱). Axar Patel trapped Andrew lbw in the fifth over but West Indies still got ۷۹-۱ in the powerplay.
Hope then added another ۵۸ off ۲۴ balls with Shimron Hetmyer, reaching ۵۰ off ۲۸ balls with the help of five sixes. He sped to a second hundred in the series with another four sixes.
Hope also became only the fifth batter to score multiple hundreds in a bilateral T۲۰ series. Overall, it was his fourth hundred in seven innings across ODIs and T۲۰s on this tour.
He wasn’t finished, despite Prince Yadav sending back Hetmyer for ۳۳, while Rovman Powell scored ۲۴.
Sherfane Rutherford scored ۴۹ not out off ۲۶ balls to provide the final flourish, hitting four fours and three sixes, as West Indies breached ۲۰۰.
Hope and Rutherford added ۹۱ off only ۴۳ balls, as India served a slow over-rate penalty in the final over. Nitish Reddy gave away ۱۹ runs in the ۲۰th, with Hope reaching his century with a six off the last ball.
In reply, Samson hit four sixes to give India a quick start. He and Abhishek Sharma (۲۹) added ۶۰ off ۲۵ balls as India scored ۸۰-۲ in the powerplay.
Keemo Paul struck twice in the fifth over – Samson was out caught at square leg on the first ball and then three balls later, Ishan Kishan was caught at deep mid wicket for six.
India also lost skipper Shreyas Iyer (۱۶) before the halfway mark, and was down to ۹۷-۳.
Abhishek Sharma didn’t get going, scoring ۲۹ off ۲۴ balls, with three fours and a six. His dismissal was the turning point – he was caught off Gudakesh Motie at long off in the ۱۲th over.
Motie also had Naman Dhir stumped for a golden duck.
Tilak Varma fought hard with ۴۳ off ۲۵ balls along with Nitish Reddy’s cameo (۴۱ off ۲۰ balls) but it went in vain.
Paul picked three wickets in the ۱۹th over to wrap up the innings.
