Iyer’s chase-ending century
Shreyas Iyer made the result feel inevitable long before the finish, blasting a 103 off 43 to power India to an eight-wicket win with 32 balls remaining. After India slipped to 62/2 in the powerplay, Iyer flipped the chase on its head, turning a potentially tricky pursuit of 172 into a sprint. The match’s defining passage came as he and Ishan Kishan stitched together a match-winning 137-run partnership that erased West Indies’ only real opening.
Middle overs blew it open
The game was decided in India’s middle overs: 110/0 at 12.4 an over after the powerplay, with no further wickets lost. That phase didn’t just keep pace with the required rate; it crushed it. West Indies couldn’t find a breakthrough once the second wicket fell, and the chase was effectively settled before the final five overs arrived.
Dhir, Kuldeep set the table
Naman Dhir’s 3/31 was the most telling spell in keeping the target manageable, backed by Kuldeep Yadav’s 2/33 and Axar Patel’s 2/26 in 3.1 overs. Then Iyer delivered the knockout blow, dominating the chase and ensuring Kishan’s support role in their 137-run stand was more than enough to finish the job.
West Indies’ recovery, then stall
With the bat, West Indies were 44/3 in the powerplay and needed a rebuild. Rutherford (56 off 34) and Shai Hope (52 off 37) provided it with a 63-run stand, lifting them through the middle to 91/5 at 10 overs. But India’s bowlers kept striking often enough to prevent a late surge from becoming decisive, and West Indies were bowled out for 171 in 19.1.

