West Indies kept their hopes of winning the T20I series alive with a 24-run victory over India in the fourth match in Hyderabad on October 14. A spectacular unbeaten century from captain Shai Hope and a five-wicket haul from Keemo Paul helped the visitors level the five-match series at 2-2, leaving the outcome to be decided in the final game.
Chasing a challenging target of 248, India managed 223 in 19.3 overs despite an explosive start from Sanju Samson and late resistance from Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. West Indies, who had been under pressure after India took the series lead, responded with an impressive performance with both bat and ball.
India had won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. However, the decision did not produce the early breakthroughs the hosts needed, as the West Indies batters attacked from the outset and built a formidable total of 247 for three in 20 overs.
Hope led the charge with an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls, striking four boundaries and nine sixes. His innings combined patience with powerful hitting, allowing West Indies to maintain a high scoring rate throughout their innings.
The captain received strong support from Sherfane Rutherford, who remained unbeaten on 49 off 26 deliveries. Their partnership of 91 runs gave West Indies the momentum needed to finish strongly and put India under pressure before the chase even began.
The visitors made an aggressive start through Hope and opening partner Jewel Andrew. The pair added 52 runs in 26 balls before Axar Patel dismissed Andrew for 21. The early wicket did little to slow West Indies, as Shimron Hetmyer arrived and immediately increased the scoring rate.
Hetmyer smashed 33 off just 12 deliveries, including four fours and two sixes. His quick contribution helped West Indies capitalise on the powerplay, although Prince Yadav eventually ended his innings. Rovman Powell added 24 before Arshdeep Singh dismissed him, but India could not prevent the visitors from building another substantial partnership.
Hope and Rutherford ensured that West Indies finished with a flourish. Hope reached his century with two consecutive sixes off Nitish Kumar Reddy in the final over, underlining the difficulty India’s bowlers faced in containing the left-right combination of aggressive strokeplay and calculated batting.
India needed a strong start to chase down the target, and Samson provided exactly that. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 56 off 23 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes. His attacking approach helped India reach 60 runs in the first four overs and briefly raised hopes of a successful chase.
However, Keemo Paul changed the direction of the match by dismissing Samson in the fifth over. He followed it up by removing Ishan Kishan, who managed just six runs. India’s early momentum began to fade as wickets fell and the required run rate climbed.
Captain Shreyas Iyer could not make a significant contribution, while Abhishek Sharma scored 29 off 24 balls before Gudakesh Motie dismissed him. Motie also removed Naman Dhir for a first-ball duck, leaving India in a difficult position at the halfway stage.
With 133 runs still required from the final 10 overs, India needed another substantial partnership. Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy attempted to keep the chase alive with an attacking stand. Tilak made 43 off 25 balls, while Reddy scored 41 from just 20 deliveries, including four sixes.
Reddy’s aggressive hitting briefly brought India back into contention, particularly when he attacked Shamar Joseph for 21 runs in the 16th over. Yet the dismissal of Tilak halted India’s progress, and West Indies seized the opportunity to tighten their grip on the contest.
Paul returned to deliver the decisive blows, dismissing Reddy, Prince Yadav and Axar Patel in the 19th over. His five-wicket haul finished India’s resistance and secured a crucial victory for the visitors.
The result also exposed India’s difficulties in containing an aggressive batting line-up. Conceding 247 runs left the hosts with little margin for error, while the loss of key batters during the middle overs made the chase increasingly difficult.
India will now need to improve its bowling execution and find greater consistency across the batting order ahead of the series decider. West Indies, meanwhile, will draw confidence from Hope’s outstanding form and Paul’s decisive contribution.
The fifth T20I will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17. With the series tied at 2-2, both teams have a chance to finish the contest with a series victory. India will look to bounce back on home soil, while West Indies will aim to carry their Hyderabad momentum into the decisive encounter.
