Shai Hope is the first West Indies batter with three T20I hundreds, and his 102 not out has sent the series to a decider
West Indies beat India by 24 runs in Hyderabad, with Keemo Paul taking five wickets, and the five-match series goes to Bengaluru on Saturday at 2-2.
Oct 15, 2026
West Indies have now won three matches on their tour of India, and Shai Hope has been not out in all three. His 102 not out off 50 balls in Hyderabad on Wednesday night carried them to 247 for 3, and Keemo Paul’s 5 for 41 left India on 223 in the 20th over. The 24-run win levels the five-match T20I series at 2-2 and sends it to a decider at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, 17 October.
It was Hope’s second hundred of the series after his 102 not out in Ranchi, and it makes him the first West Indies batter with three T20I hundreds. It was also the first time on this tour that West Indies had won batting first.
Two sixes to finish it
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and bowled, which looked sensible for about three overs. Then Jewel Andrew, brought in for Kamil Pooran, went after Arshdeep Singh, the bowler who had bowled Hope for 5 in Indore. West Indies had 50 on the board in 3.3 overs and 79 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, with Arshdeep’s first two overs gone for 36.
Andrew fell lbw to Axar Patel for 21 and Shimron Hetmyer made 33 off 12 before Prince Yadav caught and bowled him, but Hope took 19 off Naman Dhir’s only over and West Indies were 109 for 1 after eight. India pulled it back a little through the middle. They kept pushing the wide yorker and didn’t mind the wides that came with it, and Rovman Powell, who has struggled for runs in this series, needed 17 balls for his 24 before Arshdeep had him caught behind.
Sherfane Rutherford changed the finish. He made 49 not out off 26 and took charge of Mayank Yadav’s final over. Then Hope, on 90 with two balls of the innings left, hit Nitish Kumar Reddy for six twice. India conceded 62 in the last four overs. Mayank and Arshdeep each went for 52 in their four.
Samson’s fifty in the third over
On a dry, relaid pitch with big square boundaries, 248 was always going to need a flier, and Sanju Samson provided one. He reached fifty off 20 balls, India passed 50 in the third over, and Abhishek Sharma had faced three balls by then. Samson hit six fours and four sixes in his 56 off 23.
Paul ended it with a short ball. Samson got a decent piece of the hook, and Hetmyer took the catch on the boundary, tossed the ball up as he stepped over the rope, came back in and caught it again. Ishan Kishan hit his first ball for six and was caught at deep midwicket two balls later. India were 67 for 2 in the fifth over.
Iyer made 16 before Shamar Springer had him caught. Then Hope turned to Gudakesh Motie, with two left-handers in. Abhishek hit Motie’s first ball for four and was caught at long-off two balls later, out for 29 off 24. Motie’s next ball beat Dhir, and Hope stumped him for a golden duck. India were 130 for 5 in the 12th over.
Reddy and Tilak kept it alive
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy put on 70 for the sixth wicket, and for one over India looked like winning it. Shamar Joseph’s 16th went for 21, Reddy hitting two sixes, and India needed 59 off four overs.
Romario Shepherd, back in the side for Quentin Sampson, took the 17th. Tilak hit a low full toss for six and then skied the last ball to Powell, out for 43 off 25. Springer’s 18th was tight. Paul came back for the 19th and took three wickets in it: Reddy for 41 off 20, Prince bowled first ball, and Axar caught by Rutherford for 3. In the last over Arshdeep was hit on the upper arm by a Shamar Joseph short ball, and with nobody left to come in, he retired hurt at 223 for 9. That was the end of it.
West Indies had dropped plenty earlier in the series. Here they held every catch.
Bengaluru on Saturday
India’s middle order is the worry again. In Indore they lost nine wickets for 108. This time Samson gave them 60 in the first four overs, and then they lost three wickets for 33 between the ninth and 12th. They will also want news on Arshdeep, Player of the Match in Indore, before naming a side.
West Indies have won both their T20Is on this tour with Hope batting through the innings. It is a lot to ask of one batter twice in a row, but the Chinnaswamy is a small ground, and a side that has made 247 and chased 250 on this tour will not be scared of it.