West Indies seal their highest successful T20I chase against India
West Indies successfully hunted down a steep target of 250 in Ranchi, pulling off their highest T20I chase against India.
Captain Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten 102 off just 45 deliveries, guiding his team to a stunning six-wicket win with one over remaining.
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Losing early wickets did not deter the visitors. Sherfane Rutherford joined Hope when the score stood at a precarious 58 for three in the sixth over. Together, they unleashed a relentless counterattack and built a 120-run partnership. Rutherford hammered 84 runs off 37 balls, taking on the Indian bowling attack with brute force. He blasted 23 runs in a single over from Axar Patel, completely shifting the momentum of the game.
Ranchi Dew Factor Helps Batters
Conditions in Ranchi often favor teams chasing under lights due to heavy evening dew, making gripping the ball difficult for defending bowlers. West Indies maximized this advantage by relentlessly attacking the boundary. They struck a total of 204 runs purely in boundaries, breaking their own T20I boundary record.
Earlier in the evening, Sanju Samson capitalized on an early dropped catch to score a blazing 82 off 41 balls. Tilak Varma provided late fireworks, striking three consecutive sixes in the final over to push India to 249 for five. Fast bowler Mayank Yadav bowled with fierce pace during the powerplay, claiming three quick wickets for 36 runs in his spell.
While batters dominated most of the match, Roston Chase bowled a highly economical spell for the West Indies. He gave away just 24 runs in his four overs while claiming three crucial wickets. His tight bowling prevented India from pushing their total completely out of reach, allowing Hope to eventually seal the famous victory with back-to-back sixes in the 19th over.