Hope's unbeaten 102 helps West Indies beat India by six wickets, level T20 series 1-1

West Indies beat India by six wickets in the second T20 of the series and levelled it 1-1. Shai Hope, who made an unbeaten 102, and Sherfane Rutherford, who played an innings of 84, were the heroes of the win. Indian bowlers could not withstand their blistering batting.

India had earlier posted a big total of 250 for five, built on Sanju Samson's aggressive 82. But apart from Mayank Yadav, no Indian bowler made an impact in the match. Poor fielding was also a reason for the defeat.

By chasing down 250, West Indies have in a way made history. It is only the second time this has happened in the T20 format, and the credit goes to West Indies' batters. Despite losing wickets early, they won with an over to spare.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first. Opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed early for 20. Even so, Samson added 97 for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan, who made 43.

Samson hit four towering sixes and nine fours in his 82. It seemed he would complete a century, but Shamar Springer had him caught by Nicholas Pooran and ended the storm.

In the closing stages, captain Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma added 83 for the fifth wicket and took India past 200. Iyer made 40 with three fours and three sixes, while Tilak remained unbeaten on 44 off 18 balls.

In the second innings, Mayank Yadav's fast bowling shone. In his very first over he dismissed Shimron Hetmyer and another West Indies batter, who made 4, in successive balls. Hetmyer did not open his account. The captain gave Mayank another over, and with the first ball of it he sent back Rovman Powell (24), who had settled in at the crease.

Meanwhile, West Indies' middle order batted aggressively and took the score to 100 in the eighth over itself. A deep silence had fallen over the ground at that point.

The match appeared to be going India's way, but Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford began sending the ball over the boundary as soon as they got the chance. Hope raised his fifty in 23 balls, quickening the heartbeat of Indian fans, and Rutherford completed his fifty in 24 balls. India's fielding was poor during this period and several catches were dropped. The two added 120 for the fourth wicket.

Kuldeep dismissed Rutherford, but Hope stayed at the crease till the end and returned only after winning the match for his team. He hit nine fours and six sixes in his innings.