A 249/5 on a Friday night in Ranchi should have been enough. Instead, West Indies captain Shai Hope played one of the great T20I innings against India, and the visitors chased down 250 with nine balls to spare to level the five-match series at 1-1. Here is the full India vs West Indies 2nd T20I report, with the numbers that mattered, the turning points, and what it means for the rest of the series.
India vs West Indies 2nd T20I at a Glance
West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first at the JSCA International Stadium. India, captained by Shreyas Iyer, made no changes from the side that won the opening match in Lucknow, with Iyer saying before the toss that the team was going with the same XI. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Mayank Yadav took the field.
India posted 249/5 in their 20 overs. West Indies replied with 252/4 in 18.3 overs to win by six wickets. That chase is the highest successful run chase in West Indies’ T20I history and, according to match reports, the second-highest successful chase in the format overall, behind South Africa’s 259 against West Indies at Centurion in 2023. The five-match series now stands at 1-1 after India’s eight-wicket win in Lucknow.
India’s Innings: Samson Sets the Tone
Asked to bat first, India went hard from the start. Sanju Samson was the cornerstone, scoring 82 off 41 balls with nine fours and four sixes before he was dismissed by Shamar Springer. His half-century came in just 21 balls, which equals the fastest fifty by an Indian against West Indies in T20Is, a mark Virat Kohli set at the Wankhede Stadium in 2019.
Kishan, Iyer and Tilak Keep the Pace Up
Ishan Kishan added 43 off 22 balls before falling to Roston Chase, and the captain Shreyas Iyer contributed a quick 40 off 18 deliveries, hitting three fours and three sixes before Springer got him. Tilak Varma then finished the innings in style, remaining unbeaten on 44 off just 18 balls. Between them, the top and middle order kept the scoring rate high throughout, which is how India got to a total that would normally be considered match-winning.
Roston Chase was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3/24 from his four overs, a tight spell given how freely the other bowlers were hit. Springer took two wickets but conceded 64 runs in his four overs, which tells the story of how quickly the innings could turn into a free-for-all whenever the bowlers missed their lengths.
The Chase: Hope and Rutherford Take the Game Away
For the first few overs, India were in control. Mayank Yadav struck early and West Indies were 58/3 after 5.1 overs. At that point, a target of 250 looked as steep as it sounds. What followed was a partnership that changed the game.
Shai Hope, the captain, finished unbeaten on 102 off 45 balls, an innings containing nine sixes and six fours. It was his second T20I century. He found an ideal partner in Sherfane Rutherford, who made 84 off 37 balls, and the pair added 120 runs together. That stand turned a recovering chase into a run-rate that India simply could not slow down.
Shepherd Finishes It Off
Rovman Powell added 24 off 13 balls before Mayank Yadav bowled him, and then Romario Shepherd closed things out with an unbeaten 34 off 13 balls, hitting the winning runs. By the time he did, the game had been effectively won several overs earlier, with West Indies needing a manageable number per over.
India’s Bowling Under the Microscope
Mayank Yadav was the only Indian bowler to take multiple wickets, finishing with 3/36 from three overs. The rest of the attack struggled in what was clearly a difficult night to bowl. Kuldeep Yadav took 1/53, Arshdeep Singh conceded 45 runs in his four overs, and Axar Patel went for 63 in 3.3 overs.
Iyer pointed to the dew factor after the match, saying it made it hard to set a safe total and left little room for error. That is a familiar story in evening T20 cricket in India: a side that bats first can post a big score and still find the ball sliding on to the bat in the second innings, with spinners and slower-ball specialists losing their grip. Iyer also said the three early wickets had stabilised things for India before the Hope and Rutherford partnership went the other way.
Whatever the conditions, the numbers are a reminder that a 249 target still leaves a captain vulnerable if the bowlers cannot adjust. Three of India’s frontline bowlers conceded at well above ten runs an over, and there will be questions about whether the side needs another bowling option or a different plan for second-innings conditions.
Records and Milestones From Ranchi
The match produced several notable numbers. West Indies recorded their highest successful T20I chase. Shai Hope reached his second T20I hundred, in only 45 balls. Samson’s 21-ball fifty joined Kohli’s 2019 effort as the fastest by an Indian against West Indies. And the 120-run partnership between Hope and Rutherford was the platform for the biggest chase the visitors have ever completed in the format.
For India, the defeat is also a break in a good record at this ground. Before this game, India had won three of their four previous T20Is in Ranchi, with the last match there being a 21-run loss to New Zealand in 2021. The 2026 result adds a second defeat to that tally.
Analysis: What Went Wrong and What Went Right
It is hard to be too critical of the batting. A side that scores 249 on a night when four batters strike at well above two runs a ball has done its job. Samson’s innings, in particular, will please the team management: he scored quickly, he set up the platform. Kishan and Iyer then kept the momentum going, and Tilak’s 44 off 18 ensured the last overs were as productive as the first.
The bowling, on the other hand, will be a concern. Early wickets are a good sign, but they have to be followed by control. When two set batters came together at 58/3, India needed one of their bowlers to find a way to build pressure. Instead, the scoring rate rose, and the dew made it easier for Hope and Rutherford to find the boundary. It is a good example of why captains talk so much about match-ups and death-overs plans, and why the Indian side may want to consider whether a different combination suits evening games in conditions like these.
For West Indies, this is a statement win. A side that was beaten comfortably in the first match responded with a record-breaking chase, and Hope’s leadership, both with the bat and in the way he read conditions at the toss, will give the team confidence heading into the remaining three games. The decision to bowl first, which he explained by pointing to wet conditions expected to worsen in the evening, was vindicated.
What Next for the Series?
With the series level at 1-1 and three matches to play, momentum has swung toward the visitors for the moment. India will need to look closely at their bowling plans, especially for matches where dew is likely to be a factor, and decide whether to tweak the combination. The batting looks in good shape: the top order has now delivered a century in the opener, through Iyer, and a 249 in the second game.
For West Indies, the challenge is to back up the performance. One big chase does not make a series, but it does show that the batting lineup, with Hope, Rutherford, Powell and Shepherd, can take apart a strong attack on a good night. We will keep following the series and will update this page with the fixture details as the remaining matches approach.
Conclusion
The India vs West Indies 2nd T20I in Ranchi will be remembered for Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, a 120-run stand with Sherfane Rutherford, and a record-breaking chase of 250. India’s batters did their part with 249/5, led by Sanju Samson’s 82, but the bowling could not hold on. With the series level at 1-1, the next match is now a big test of how India respond.
