Shai Hope's century helps West Indies level T20 series in India

West Indies captain Shai Hope hit an unbeaten 102 to lead his side to a 24-run win over India in the fourth T20 International in Hyderabad on Wednesday, levelling the five-match series at 2-2.

West Indies posted 247-3, and Keemo Paul then took 5-41 to bowl India out for 223, setting up a decider in Bengaluru on Sunday, Dawn reported, citing AFP.

Hope leads from the front

Hope’s 50-ball century was his third in T20 Internationals, the most by any West Indian batter, and his second of the series. He brought it up off the final ball of the innings after hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy for successive sixes.

• Jewel Andrew: 21 before he fell early
• Shimron Hetmyer: 33 off 12 balls before Prince Yadav caught and bowled him
• Rovman Powell: 24 off 17 balls
• Sherfane Rutherford: 49 not out, in an unbroken stand of 91 with Hope

West Indies started briskly, and Hetmyer gave Hope company in another quick partnership before Hope and Rutherford kept up the onslaught in the closing overs.

Paul’s five-wicket haul

Sanju Samson gave India a strong start with 56 off 23 balls, but Paul struck twice in the fifth over to remove Samson and Ishan Kishan within four balls.

Captain Shreyas Iyer fell to Shamar Springer for 16, and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie removed opener Abhishek Sharma for 29 before Naman Dhir was stumped first ball.

Tilak Varma (43) and Reddy (41) added 70 to keep India in the hunt, but Romario Shepherd removed Varma, and Paul then took three wickets in an over, including Reddy, to finish with his second five-wicket haul in T20s. Arshdeep Singh retired hurt after being hit on the shoulder by a Shamar Joseph bouncer, and India were all out in 19.3 overs.

What they said

“I think all the guys, we back our skills and we feel we could beat any team on our day,” Paul said. “So, it’s just about staying calm and believing in ourselves, and I think we’re doing that really well.”

India captain Iyer said: “We were unfortunate we couldn’t execute our plans in bowling, and that’s where we fell a bit short.”

The scorecard in brief

• West Indies: 247-3 in 20 overs (Hope 102*, Rutherford 49*, Hetmyer 33)
• India: 223 all out in 19.3 overs (Samson 56, Varma 43, Reddy 41; Paul 5-41)
• Result: West Indies won by 24 runs; series level at 2-2
• Next: the deciding fifth match is in Bengaluru on Sunday

A record for Pakistan’s captain

The defeat comes days after Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan broke Abhishek Sharma’s record for the most runs in a three-match bilateral T20I series between full members, scoring 238 runs against Sri Lanka.

Why it matters

West Indies have turned the series around with two wins and now head to Bengaluru with momentum and a captain in top form. Read our report on Sahibzada Farhan’s record against Sri Lanka.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, AFP and Geo News.