West Indies were keeping pace with a target of 250 in the second T20I against India at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi on Friday, according to Hindustan Times. Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford both passed fifty, with Rutherford reaching the mark off just 24 balls, and their partnership was approaching a century when the report was filed.
India had earlier made 249/5 from their 20 overs, a total that left the visitors needing the second-highest chase of the contest. Hindustan Times reported that India added 23 runs in the final over of their innings.
Why it matters
The match sits at the centre of a series India entered with momentum, having won the opening T20I in Lucknow by eight wickets. A West Indies victory in Ranchi would level the series and end India's unbeaten start, while a home win would put the hosts one game from sealing the contest.
For Hope, the innings extended a remarkable run of form across the tour. Hindustan Times noted that his fifty in Ranchi was his second in consecutive matches of this series and his fifth score of 50 or more on the trip.
Rutherford's acceleration alongside him meant West Indies were not merely surviving the chase but matching the required rate, a point the report stressed as the innings progressed.
Samson leads India's record total
Sanju Samson top-scored for India with 82, an innings that ended when Shamar Springer dismissed him, according to Hindustan Times. The report described the knock as a return to form after a difficult stretch, and noted that Samson reached his half-century in 21 balls — equalling the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian against West Indies, a record previously held by Virat Kohli.
Abhishek Sharma gave India a fast start before falling to Roston Chase for 21, caught at mid off. Hindustan Times reported that Sharma also passed 1,000 T20I runs on Indian soil during the innings, becoming the seventh batter to do so, with Kohli the first to reach the mark in 2019.
Ishan Kishan was Chase's second victim, bowled, and Shivam Dube became the third, giving the off-spinner all three of India's early wickets. Hindustan Times reported that Chase finished with 4/24 from his four overs, a return that stood out while other bowlers conceded heavily.
India lost three wickets in quick succession before Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma steadied the innings. The pair put on 83 for the sixth wicket, with Iyer making 43 and Varma 44, and Hindustan Times described their stand as the finishing touch that carried India close to 250. The report noted it was the first time a team had scored more than 200 at Ranchi.
Mayank Yadav strikes three times in the powerplay
Mayank Yadav opened the bowling and removed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer with consecutive deliveries, giving India an ideal start. Hindustan Times reported that he returned for a third straight over in the powerplay and bowled Rovman Powell, taking his tally to three wickets inside the first six overs.
The report said Yadav abandoned the slower balls and off-cutters he had favoured in the previous match and instead bowled to his main strength, pace. His delivery to Hetmyer was singled out as particularly well executed.
West Indies still managed 72 runs in the powerplay despite the losses, with Hope, Powell and Rutherford all finding the boundary. Hope and Powell then combined for a half-century stand that repaired the innings before Powell's dismissal.
The chase remained finely balanced at the point of the report, with West Indies toe-to-toe with the required rate and India searching for a breakthrough.
Attention now turns to whether India's bowlers can separate Hope and Rutherford in time, or whether West Indies complete the chase and square the series.
