Thirteen sixes and 25 fours were hit by India on a whirlwind dew-filled night at Ranchi, but West Indies responded with 21 fours and a staggering 20 sixes to pull off their highest successful run chase in T20Is.
The pitch was offering consistent bounce though, and the dew meant the ball was flying off the bat. That was enough to unlock West Indies’ primal batting instincts as they found their range and took India’s bowling to the cleaners to inflict a crushing six-wicket defeat with nine balls to spare. West Indies produced the latter as Hope reached his second T20I hundred with a six off Axar Patel in the 19th over. For India, the problem was not a shortage of runs. It was a total built to overwhelm. But West Indies treated it as an invitation to go berserk. Mayank had initially made the task look hopeless. Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer fell in quick succession in the opening over, and Rovman Powell followed as the fast bowler collected three powerplay wickets. India had their breakthrough, their momentum and the kind of scoreboard pressure that can make even an accomplished batting line-up lose its nerve. But Hope didn’t. Resisting the temptation to turn every delivery into a boundary opportunity, he started finding gaps through the off side and using the pace of the ball before choosing his moments to attack. Rutherford was less interested in moderation. He hit seven sixes and seven fours, attacking India’s spinners with the sort of clean, uncompromising power that can make defensive fields appear almost ornamental.
Shai Hope anchored this assault with an incredible 45-ball 102* with Sherfane Rutherford providing the ammo in the form of a 37-ball 84 in the second T20I against India. This after a three-wicket burst from Mayank Yadav that could have nixed West Indies’ ability to mount an unprecedented chase of 249. There are big chases, and then there are the ones that make a total of 249 look strangely inadequate. With Rutherford, he had added 120 runs in 54 balls. Sanju Samson had struck 82 from 41 balls, Ishan Kishan contributed 43 from 22, and Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma added the late fireworks that carried the hosts to 249 for five. His half-century arrived from 24 deliveries—a measured beginning by the standards of the chase but one that kept West Indies in contention.
Axar and Naman Dhir were both punished in successive big overs as the fourth-wicket partnership gathered pace and India’s early advantage began to evaporate. Hope kept the innings moving, ensuring Rutherford remained involved and that the required rate did not become a separate opponent. Rutherford, in turn, made sure the pressure travelled in the other direction, forcing India to search for answers while the target continued to shrink. India had arrived at the interval of the first innings with good reason to feel satisfied. West Indies briefly found a way to interrupt the carnage. Kishan was bowled by Roston Chase, before Samson fell to Shamar Springer’s slower ball in the 15th over. The recovery, when it came, was emphatic however. It was a formidable total, but West Indies were going in with a mind of their own. By the time Rutherford fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the 15th over, West Indies had gained more than a foothold. Hope then took responsibility for the finish. There was no frantic scramble, no need to abandon the judgement that had shaped his innings from the start. His finish was as composed as it was spectacular.
The pair added 120 runs, but the partnership was more than a succession of boundaries. Samson had launched the innings at a remarkable tempo, reaching his half-century in 21 balls and helping India to 79 for one in the powerplay. Kishan’s assault on Shamar Joseph, including 20 runs from the ninth over, pushed the scoring rate further into the extraordinary. India were 169 for four, having managed 42 runs across overs 11 to 15. Iyer struck 40 from 18 balls, and Tilak made 44 from the same number of deliveries. Their 83-run stand from 33 balls culminated in Varma hitting Springer for three consecutive sixes in the final over, allowing India to collect 80 runs from their last five overs. Romario Shepherd then came and finished the chase with 34 from 13 balls, including a savage assault on Kuldeep in the 17th over that cost 24 runs, before he carried the attack to Arshdeep Singh. With 10 needed from the final 12 deliveries, the balance had shifted decisively. A six over long-on off Axar moved him to 96, another maximum brought up his hundred and put the result beyond doubt.
