West Indies captain Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls — his third T20I century, a West Indies record — as the visitors piled up 247 for 3 against India in the fourth T20I at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday. India, who won the toss and chose to field, were set a mammoth 248 to win and seal the five-match series.
Key Takeaways
- Hope’s 102 not out off 50 balls is his third T20I hundred — the most by any West Indian, moving him past Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, who have two each.
- West Indies’ 247 for 3 is their second-highest T20I total against India, behind only the 252 for 4 they posted in Ranchi earlier in the tour.
- Hope crossed 2,000 T20I runs during the knock, becoming the fourth West Indies batter to reach the milestone.
- India lead the five-match series 2-1; West Indies must win in Hyderabad to force a decider in Bengaluru on Saturday.
A record-breaking knock
Hope reached his fifty off just 28 balls and brought up his century with a six off the final delivery of the innings. It was his second hundred of the T20I series and his fourth century of the tour, following two in the one-day series that West Indies lost 2-1. Remarkably, all three of his T20I hundreds have been unbeaten scores of exactly 102.
The captain found an able partner in Sherfane Rutherford, who finished unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls. The pair’s unbroken 91-run fourth-wicket stand is the second-highest fourth-wicket partnership for West Indies in T20Is, behind only their own 120-run effort in Ranchi. Hope’s latest fifty-plus score also took him level with Chris Gayle on 16 scores of fifty or more in T20Is, the most for West Indies.
India’s bowlers punished
Axar Patel, playing his 200th international match, struck early to remove opener Jewel Andrew for 21, but the Indian attack was taken apart thereafter. Shimron Hetmyer smashed 33 off 12 balls before falling to Prince Yadav, while Rovman Powell made 24 off 17. Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh both conceded 52 runs from their four overs as West Indies crossed 200 in the 17th over and finished with a flourish.
Series on the line
India went into the match leading the series 2-1, and West Indies need a win to keep the series alive ahead of Saturday’s decider. Sanju Samson gave the hosts a flying start in the chase of 248, but the visitors’ enormous total left India facing one of the toughest run chases in T20I history.
Reporting by IANS, Outlook India, ESPNcricinfo, The News Mill, Odisha Today and Times Now.
