Captain Shai Hope produced one of the great T20 innings on Friday, smashing an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls as West Indies hunted down India's 249-5 to win the second T20I by six wickets in Ranchi — the highest successful run chase in West Indian T20 international history and the second-highest ever recorded in the format. The victory levels the five-match series at 1-1 with nine balls to spare.
India, powered by Sanju Samson's 41-ball 82, had posted what looked like an unassailable total at the JSCA International Stadium. West Indies were then rocked at 9-2 in the first over. What followed was a breathtaking counter-attack led by their skipper.
Table of Contents
- The Chase: 252-4 in 18.3 Overs
- Hope's Masterclass: 45 Balls, Nine Sixes
- Rutherford's Reprieve and Redemption
- India's Big Total Falls Short
- A Record for the History Books
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- More on Chronicle
The Chase: 252-4 in 18.3 Overs
The target was 250 — a mountain by any measure. West Indies lost Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer to successive deliveries from paceman Mayank Yadav in the opening over, and when Rovman Powell fell for 24, the visitors were in deep trouble.
Then came the turnaround. Hope and Sherfane Rutherford stitched together a blistering 120-run stand for the fourth wicket that swung the momentum irreversibly. After Rutherford departed for 84, Romario Shepherd arrived to smash an unbeaten 34 off 13 balls, and Hope finished the job with a six that also brought up his century. West Indies closed on 252-4, the winning runs coming in the 19th over.
Hope's Masterclass: 45 Balls, Nine Sixes
Hope's hundred was historic on multiple levels. The 45-ball century is the second-fastest T20I hundred by a West Indies batter — only Johnson Charles's 39-ball effort was quicker — and it surpassed Chris Gayle's 47-ball ton in the team's record books. It also equalled the joint-fastest century against India in T20Is, matching Jacob Bethell's 45-ball knock at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, according to NDTV Sports.
Anchoring the chase while keeping the required rate in check, Hope hit nine sixes and six boundaries. "When you chase here in India, you always give yourself a chance," the captain said afterwards. "You always think you're in the game, regardless of what score is on the board."
Rutherford's Reprieve and Redemption
Rutherford's 84 off 37 balls came with a slice of fortune that proved decisive. On 38, he was dropped off a straightforward chance at short fine leg by Mayank Yadav, and he made India pay — hammering seven fours and seven sixes, including a 23-run assault on Axar Patel in the 12th over, before falling to Kuldeep Yadav.
India's fielding had looked electric early — Mayank Yadav's twin strikes and his later dismissal of Powell had the hosts on top. The dropped catch turned out to be the moment the match slipped away.
India's Big Total Falls Short
India's 249-5 was no weak effort. Samson and Abhishek Sharma raced to 42 inside four overs before the opening stand was broken. Kishan added 43, and the innings accelerated sharply at the death as Iyer and Tilak Varma put on 83 runs from 32 balls, with Iyer making 40 before falling off the penultimate delivery.
But even 249 proved insufficient on a Ranchi surface that offered little to the bowlers once the ball started coming on. India's attack, so dominant in the powerplay, had no answer to the Hope–Rutherford onslaught.
A Record for the History Books
West Indies' previous best T20I chase was 231 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2015. Friday's 252 surpassed that by 21 runs. Only South Africa's pursuit of 259 — ironically also against West Indies, in Centurion in 2023 — stands above it in the all-time list, per Reuters and Al Jazeera.
The two sides meet again in the third T20I in Indore on Sunday, with the series beautifully poised.
Key Takeaways
- Shai Hope's unbeaten 102 off 45 balls led West Indies to 252-4, chasing down India's 249-5 with nine balls to spare in Ranchi.
- It is West Indies' highest successful T20I chase and the second-highest in men's T20I history, behind South Africa's 259 against West Indies in 2023.
- Hope's 45-ball century is the second-fastest by a West Indies batter, passing Chris Gayle's 47-ball ton.
- Sherfane Rutherford's 84 off 37 balls, including a dropped catch on 38, proved decisive; Mayank Yadav had earlier reduced West Indies to 9-2.
- Samson's 41-ball 82 and a late 83-run stand between Iyer and Tilak Varma underpinned India's total — but it was not enough.
- The five-match series is level 1-1 ahead of the third T20I in Indore on Sunday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score in the West Indies vs India second T20I?
India posted 249-5 in 20 overs, and West Indies chased it down, finishing 252-4 in 18.3 overs to win by six wickets with nine balls to spare at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.
How many balls did Shai Hope take for his century?
Hope reached his unbeaten 102 from 45 deliveries — the second-fastest T20I century by a West Indies batter, behind Johnson Charles's 39-ball hundred, and ahead of Chris Gayle's 47-ball ton.
Is this the highest successful T20I chase in history?
No, but it is close. West Indies' 252 is the second-highest successful chase in men's T20I history, surpassed only by South Africa's 259 against West Indies in Centurion in 2023. It is, however, the highest successful chase ever by the West Indies themselves.
Who were the other key performers?
For West Indies, Sherfane Rutherford hit 84 off 37 balls and Romario Shepherd added an unbeaten 34 off 13. For India, Sanju Samson made 82 off 41 balls, while Shreyas Iyer (40) and Tilak Varma added a late 83-run partnership.
When is the next match in the series?
The third T20I takes place in Indore on Sunday, with the five-match series level at 1-1.
