West Indies leveled their five-match T20I series against India at 1-1, chasing down 250 with a six-wicket win and nine balls to spare at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on October 9. Shai Hope's unbeaten 102 off 45 balls anchored the chase, with Sherfane Rutherford's 84 off 37 turning the game away from India in a hurry.
Batting first, India reached 249 for 5 in their 20 overs. Sanju Samson was the standout with 82, and Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 44 to push the total well past what had looked a strong score at the halfway stage. Roston Chase was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3 for 24, and Shamar Springer picked up two. Samson's form is a notable subplot of its own: an innings of this tempo against a touring attack is exactly the kind of returns India's selectors will want from their middle order with a New Zealand tour on the horizon.
West Indies were given early trouble by Mayank Yadav, who removed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer inside the opening over and finished with 3 for 36. But Hope and Rutherford responded with a 120-run fourth-wicket stand that completely changed the complexion of the match, with West Indies reaching 252 for 4 in 18.3 overs. Multiple match reports describe the chase as West Indies' highest successful run chase in men's T20I history, with the total also ranking among the highest successful chases achieved by any team in the format.
Hope's role as both captain and wicketkeeper-batter made the innings doubly significant: after a modest 52 in the series opener, a near-flawless unbeaten century in a successful chase of this size is exactly the kind of statement a touring captain needs to shift momentum. Rutherford's support act, scoring at better than two runs a ball for long stretches, meant India's bowlers never had the luxury of simply containing one dominant batter — they had to find wickets at both ends, and could not.
The result means a series that looked to be heading India's way after Shreyas Iyer's maiden T20I century in the Lucknow opener is now level at 1-1 with three matches to play. It is a significant response from West Indies, whose batting had looked short of support for Hope through the first game, and a reminder that a near-250 total on a flat Ranchi surface was never going to be entirely safe under lights, with dew traditionally making stroke-play easier for the side batting second as the match wears on.
The series moves to Indore for the third T20I on October 11, followed by Hyderabad on October 14 and a decider in Bengaluru on October 17. India's bowling unit, which leaked 252 after taking early wickets, will come under particular scrutiny before that next fixture, with the balance between pace and spin options likely to be reassessed.
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Scores, individual figures and the result in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting as of October 10, 2026.
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