Hope hundred, Paul fifer give Windies much to play for in Bengaluru
West Indies 247 for 3 (Hope 102*, Rutherford 49*; Prince 1-36) beat India 223 all out (Samson 56, Tilak 43; Paul 5-41) by 24 runs
The West Indies defeated India by 24 runs in the fourth T20 International in Hyderabad on Wednesday to set up a decider in the five-match series. Captain Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford put on an unbeaten 91-run partnership to take the Caribbean side to a mammoth 247 for three, before Keemo Paul’s five-wicket haul led a polished bowling effort to restrict India’s explosive batting line-up.
The victory levels the series 2-2 and sets up a decisive contest in Bengaluru.
It was at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad that India amassed 297 for 6 against Bangladesh in 2024. And despite their huge total today, it was far from a fluent innings from the West Indies; there were noticeable periods of lulls. They had other factors going against them as they stepped out to defend.
Positives, from a bowling perspective, for the visitors had been hard to find throughout this series. Not to mention that if you were going to assemble a World XI batting line-up, it probably wouldn’t read too far from this current Indian top-order.
After a quiet first over, in which Roston Chase conceded seven runs, Sanju Samson put his head down. He took two maximums and a boundary from the second, then accounted for all but one of the 25 runs scored off Chase in the third.
Kevin Wickham has earned a maiden Test call-up to the West Indies side after being included in their squad of 15 for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh, starting on October 28.
The 23-year-old Wickham, who averages 40.88 in first-class cricket, gets his first opportunity at the senior level following an impressive showing in the 2026 West Indies Championship, where he scored three consecutive centuries with a best of 153.
With the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier scheduled for February next year, Shai Hope is being rested for the series.
Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been withdrawn from the series following a “routine medical assessment and specialist consultation,” according to CWI.
Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford have been reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in separate incidents during Friday's second T20 International against India.
Powell, who hit the ball away with his bat after being bowled by Mayank Yadav, was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
Rutherford, meanwhile, yelled aggressively at the umpire after a delivery he believed was wide was ruled legitimate, breaching Article 2.8, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an international match."
India 223 all out (Abhishek 69, Kishan 37; Chase 2-38) beat West Indies 209 for 7 (Hetmyer 43, Pooran 42; Arshdeep 3-44) by 14 runs
The West Indies suffered a 14-run defeat to India in the third T20 International in Indore on Sunday, falling 2-1 behind in the five-match series. After rallying to dismiss India for 223 in their allotment, the Caribbean side failed to get out in front of the chase against an ever-climbing required rate.
When Arshdeep Singh bowled Shai (5) in the second over, it meant the West Indies needed 216 Hope-less runs for victory. Shimron Hetmyer’s attempt to answer the call saw him top-scoring with 43. He dominated the 60-run second-wicket stand alongside Kamil Pooran.
Despite Hetmyer’s 26-ball knock, the West Indies never came neck-and-neck with the required rate, with Pooran on a run-a-ball 12 when Hetmyer was bowled at 67 for two in the 7th.
Rovman Powell’s dismissal for five in the ninth prompted an early drinks break, which saw coach Daren Sammy sprinting to deliver a message to the pedestrian Pooran. He responded by smashing Naman Dhir for three sixes in the 11th but was caught attempting a fourth to be dismissed for 42 (27 balls).
West Indies (Hope 102*, Rutherford 84; Mayank 3-36) beat India 249 for 5 (Samson 82, Tilak 44; Chase 3-24) by 6 wickets
Hope: “I really believe that we need to bat a lot better in partnerships”
The West Indies are still a six-hitting team. They scorched 20 of them to complete a successful chase of 250 with nine deliveries to spare in the second T20 International against India in Ranchi on Friday.
Nine of them came off the bat of captain Shai Hope, whose unbeaten 102 (45 balls) helped West Indies to their highest successful chase in the format. Hope shared in a tide-turning 120-run fourth-wicket partnership with Sherfane Rutherford to drag the Caribbean side back into the contest.
“The thing about cricket is,” Hope said after the chase, “I really believe that we need to bat a lot better in partnerships. It's something that we tend to lapse on now and again.”
Rutherford was responsible for seven of the maximums Windies scored. After lacing danger man Mayank Yadav for back-to-back fours and a maximum in his first four balls, the left-hander showed no prejudice to pace or spin.
Rutherford, Chase and Hope were crucial to WI's win (Courtesy BCCI)
