Hope's hundred and Paul's five-for take West Indies series to Bengaluru decider

West Indies will go to Bengaluru with the series alive. Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 50 balls carried them to 247 for 3 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday night, and Keemo Paul’s 5 for 41 then broke India’s chase, giving the visitors a 24-run win in the fourth T20I and levelling the five-match series at 2-2.

India had a chance to wrap up the series with a game to spare. Instead, Shreyas Iyer’s choice to bowl first after winning the toss was followed by the second 240-plus total West Indies have made against India in a week.

How the match turned

Hope set the tone from the start. West Indies were 79 for 1 after the powerplay, with Axar Patel trapping Jewel Andrew lbw for 21. Shimron Hetmyer smashed 33 off 12 balls before Prince Yadav held a return catch, and Rovman Powell made 24 before Arshdeep Singh had him caught behind by Sanju Samson. At 156 for 3 in the 13th over, the stage belonged to the captain.

Hope and Sherfane Rutherford (49 not out off 26) did not lose another wicket. The West Indies captain hit nine sixes and four fours, and reached his hundred in the most fitting way, with a six off the final ball of the innings. It was his second century of the T20I series, after his 102 in the record chase in Ranchi, and his fourth of the tour. Mayank Yadav’s four overs went for 52 without a wicket, and Arshdeep finished with 1 for 52.

India’s reply began at a gallop. Samson raced to 56 with six fours and four sixes, and India were past 60 inside four overs. Then Paul came on. His first over, the fifth of the innings, removed both Samson and Ishan Kishan. Iyer fell for 16, and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie struck twice in an over to remove Abhishek Sharma and Naman Dhir, leaving India 132 for 5 after 12 overs.

Tilak Varma (43 off 25) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 20, with four sixes) put on close to 70 to keep India in touch. Romario Shepherd broke the stand when Powell caught Tilak, and Paul returned to take three wickets in the 18th and 19th overs. Arshdeep, the last man in, was struck and could not continue, and India’s innings ended at 223.

Fourth T20I, Hyderabad

• 247/3 West Indies, 20 oversHope 102 not out, Rutherford 49 not out.
• 5/41 Keemo PaulSamson, Kishan, Nitish, Prince and Axar.
• 223 India, chasing 248Samson 56, Tilak 43, Nitish 41.
• 2-2 Series levelDecider in Bengaluru on 17 October.

What it means for India

Hyderabad had been a happy ground for India, who had won all three of their previous T20Is there. The defeat leaves a worry about the bowling at the death, the area Iyer had singled out after the Indore win, and over Arshdeep’s fitness eight days before the New Zealand tour begins.

The fifth and final T20I is at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, 17 October. India then fly to New Zealand, where the first of five T20Is is in Christchurch on 22 October.