Hope’s hundred flips the chase
Shai Hope set the tone for a chase that never lost speed, blasting 102 off 45 to carry West Indies past 249 with 9 balls to spare. India had surged to 249/5, powered by Sanju Samson’s 83 (41) and a 97-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, but Hope’s acceleration after an early wobble changed the match’s direction. West Indies reached the target at 252/4 in 18.3 overs, finishing the job before India could force a final-over scramble.
Middle overs swing it back
The decisive passage came in the middle overs, where West Indies turned 72/3 in the powerplay into a dominant platform. Their mid-overs return of 127/1 at 12.7 an over dwarfed India’s 99/3 at 9.9 in the same phase, effectively erasing the asking rate. Hope and Sherfane Rutherford’s 120-run stand was the fulcrum: they kept boundaries flowing while ensuring wickets didn’t fall in clusters, leaving a manageable finish rather than a high-wire chase.
Samson shines, Hope owns it
Samson’s 83 at a strike rate over 200, plus the 97-run stand with Kishan, gave India a total that demanded an exceptional response. West Indies produced it through Hope’s match-defining century and Rutherford’s 84 (37), both striking at 227. Roston Chase’s 3/24 was the key bowling contribution, keeping India’s middle overs in check and ensuring the chase remained within reach for the finishers.
India’s bursts, then release
India did land punches early, with West Indies three down inside the first six overs despite scoring at 12 an over. Mayank Yadav’s 3/36 in just three overs briefly offered a way back, but the game slipped when the Hope-Rutherford partnership refused to stall. Once that stand broke, the chase still didn’t tighten: West Indies’ death-overs return of 53/0 at 21.2 an over shut the door completely.

