Hope's ton, Keemo Paul's five-for sink India as West Indies level T20I series 2-2

Skipper Shai Hope's scintillating unbeaten century and Keemo Paul's five-wicket haul powered West Indies to a commanding 24-run victory over India in the fourth T20 International at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, levelling the five-match series 2-2 and setting up a winner-takes-all decider in Bengaluru.

Hope smashed an unbeaten 102 off just 50 deliveries, including nine sixes and four boundaries, as West Indies posted an imposing 247 for three after being asked to bat. Paul then produced a match-winning spell of five for 41 to restrict India to 223 for nine in 19.3 overs, despite a blistering half-century from Sanju Samson and fighting contributions from the middle order.

The defeat denied India an opportunity to seal the series on home soil, with the visitors bouncing back strongly after trailing 1-2. Hope's explosive innings, followed by Paul's decisive breakthroughs, ensured that West Indies remained in contention for the series.

𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲'𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟰𝟳/𝟯

West Indies made an aggressive start after Indian captain Shreyas Iyer elected to field, with Hope and Jewel Andrew putting the bowlers under immediate pressure. Andrew struck 21 off 16 balls before Axar Patel dismissed him leg-before with the score at 52 in the fifth over.

Shimron Hetmyer maintained the momentum with a rapid 33 off 12 deliveries, striking four boundaries and two sixes. His attacking partnership with Hope helped West Indies race to 100 in just 7.4 overs, matching their fastest team hundred against India in T20 Internationals.

The visitors had already amassed 79 runs in the powerplay, equalling the highest six-over total recorded against India in the format. Hetmyer's dismissal at 110 for two in the ninth over briefly slowed the scoring, but Hope continued to dominate the Indian attack.

Rovman Powell contributed 24 off 17 deliveries before falling to Arshdeep Singh, leaving West Indies at 156 for three in the 13th over. Sherfane Rutherford then joined Hope and the pair added an unbeaten 91 runs off 43 balls, providing a powerful finish to the innings.

Rutherford remained unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls, striking four boundaries and three sixes, while Hope completed his century with a six off the final delivery. The West Indies captain's innings marked his second T20I century of the series and fourth hundred of the India tour, underlining his exceptional form.

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

India's bowling attack endured a difficult evening as the West Indies batters repeatedly cleared the boundary, striking 16 sixes during their innings. Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh conceded 52 runs each from their four overs, while Axar Patel returned figures of one for 45.

Prince Yadav was the most economical among India's specialist fast bowlers, claiming one wicket for 36 runs in four overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy conceded 39 runs in three overs, while Naman Dhir gave away 19 runs in his solitary over.

The hosts also conceded 18 extras, including 13 wides, adding to their difficulties. Missed opportunities in the field compounded the bowling problems as West Indies maintained a scoring rate of more than 12 runs per over.

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘆 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁

Chasing a daunting target of 248, India began aggressively, with Sanju Samson launching a counterattack against the West Indies bowlers. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 56 off just 23 deliveries, keeping the required scoring rate within reach during the early stages.

However, Paul provided the visitors with a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Samson in the fifth over. He followed it up by removing Ishan Kishan for six, putting India under pressure despite their attacking start.

Abhishek Sharma contributed 29, while captain Shreyas Iyer managed only 16 as the Indian top order failed to build on the momentum established by Samson.

With wickets falling regularly, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy attempted to revive the chase through an attacking partnership. The pair added 70 runs, briefly raising hopes of an unlikely victory.

Varma struck 43 off 25 balls before falling to Romario Shepherd, with Rovman Powell completing the catch. Reddy continued the fight with 41, but his dismissal to Paul dealt another blow to India's chances.

𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹'𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Paul emerged as the decisive figure in the second innings, combining disciplined bowling with timely breakthroughs to dismantle India's chase. After dismissing Samson and Kishan, he returned to remove Reddy, Prince Yadav and Axar Patel, completing an impressive five-wicket haul.

The West Indies pacer finished with figures of five for 41 from four overs, while Gudakesh Motie claimed two wickets for just 13 runs in his two overs. The visitors maintained their intensity in the closing stages, preventing India from mounting a late comeback.

India eventually finished 24 runs short, handing West Indies a crucial victory and ensuring the series would be decided in the fifth and final encounter.

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂

The victory completed an impressive turnaround for West Indies, who entered the fourth T20I trailing 1-2 and facing the prospect of another series defeat after losing the preceding ODI series 1-2.

Hope's outstanding batting form has been a major feature of the tour, while Paul's performance provided the bowling support required to defend a formidable total against India's powerful batting line-up.

For India, the defeat exposed concerns over bowling discipline, death-over execution and the inability of the batting order to sustain partnerships under pressure.

With the series now level at 2-2, both teams will head to Bengaluru for the deciding fifth T20I, where India will seek to regain momentum and West Indies will look to complete their comeback.