West Indies Stun India with Record-Breaking T20 Run Chase Led by Shai Hope's Brilliant Century

Shai Hope delivered a masterclass with an unbeaten 102 off just 45 balls, powering the West Indies to a historic victory against India in their highest successful Twenty20 run chase.

Playing in Ranchi, India, Hope smashed nine sixes and six boundaries on Friday to secure his second T20 century. The West Indies finished at 252-4 in response to India’s formidable 249-5, sealing a six-wicket win with nine balls to spare. This remarkable feat marked the second-highest successful run chase in the history of T20 cricket, trailing only South Africa's 259-4 against the West Indies in March. Sherfane Rutherford provided crucial support to Hope with a blistering 84 off 37 balls, featuring seven sixes and seven fours. For India, Sanju Samson led the charge with 82 off 41 balls. With this thrilling result, the five-match series is now tied at 1-1, with Indore set to host the third T20 on Sunday.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, the West Indies faced an early onslaught from India. Samson and Abhishek Sharma put up 42 runs in 24 balls, followed by a quick-fire 43 off 22 balls from Ishan Kishan. Samson reached his fifty in 21 balls, finishing with four sixes and nine fours as India reached 79-1 in the powerplay and surpassed 100 runs in 8.1 overs. Their partnership yielded 97 runs off only 43 balls before Roston Chase broke through by bowling Kishan in the 12th over, later removing Shivam Dube as well. Chase finished his spell with impressive figures of 3-24 in four overs. India slipped to 162-4 in the 15th over when Samson was dismissed by Shamar Springer. However, Shreyas Iyer's 40 off 18 balls and Tilak Varma's unbeaten 44 off 18 balls propelled India past 250's threshold, securing the team's eighth-highest total in T20 history despite falling just short of the milestone.

In response, the West Indies faced early turbulence during their powerplay as Mayank Yadav (3-36) removed opener Kamil Pooran for four and trapped Shimron Hetmyer for a golden duck, alongside dismissing Rovman Powell for 24. Hope anchored the innings and combined with Rutherford for a pivotal 120-run partnership off 54 balls. Although Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Rutherford in the 15th over, Romario Shepherd added a vital 34 off 13 balls with three sixes to maintain the momentum. Meanwhile, Hope brought up his century off 45 balls, scoring his second fifty in just 21 deliveries. This achievement marked Hope's third century against India across four T20 and ODI innings.