By Tanzeel Ul Rehman | October 12, 2026
West Indies beat India by 6 wickets in the 2nd T20I in Ranchi on October 9, chasing 250 with 9 balls to spare. Captain Shai Hope made 102 not out off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford hit 84 off 37, after West Indies had slipped to 5 for 2 in the first over. It was the second highest successful chase in men’s T20I history and levelled the five match series at 1 to 1.
India had posted 249 for 5, their highest T20I total against West Indies, built on Sanju Samson’s 82 off 41. On most nights that is a winning score. This report explains how West Indies chased it, where India lost control, the dropped catch that changed the game, and what the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I result means for the rest of the series.
India vs West Indies 2nd T20I Result at a Glance
| India | West Indies | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 249/5 (20 overs) | 252/4 (18.3 overs) |
| Top scorers | Sanju Samson 82 (41), Tilak Varma 44* (18), Ishan Kishan 43 (22), Shreyas Iyer 40 (18) | Shai Hope 102* (45), Sherfane Rutherford 84 (37), Romario Shepherd 34* (13) |
| Best bowling | Mayank Yadav 3/36 (3 overs) | Roston Chase 3/24 (4 overs) |
| Result | West Indies won by 6 wickets with 9 balls left |
Toss: West Indies won and chose to bowl. Venue: JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. Player of the Match: Shai Hope. Series: Level at 1 to 1 after two of five matches.
A combined 501 runs were scored, the second highest match aggregate in men’s T20Is. For the full ball by ball record, see the ESPNcricinfo match report.
How Did West Indies Chase 250 After Losing Two Wickets for Five Runs?
The chase started about as badly as a chase can. Mayank Yadav removed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer with successive balls in the first over, Hetmyer for a golden duck. At 5 for 2, with 245 still needed, most viewers would have switched channels.
The chase is easier to understand when you split it into three phases.
| Phase | Balls | Score at the end | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| The collapse | 1 to 31 | 58/3 | Mayank took 3 wickets, including Rovman Powell for 24 |
| The Hope and Rutherford stand | 32 to 85 | 178/4 | 120 runs in 54 balls before Rutherford fell to Kuldeep Yadav |
| The finish | 86 to 111 | 252/4 | Hope and Shepherd added 74 unbeaten runs in 26 balls |
The middle phase is where India lost the game. At 58 for 3 after 5.1 overs, West Indies needed 192 more from 89 balls, a rate of almost 13 an over. Hope and Rutherford did not just keep up with that rate. They went past it, scoring at 13.3 an over for nine overs straight.
The finish was even quicker. When Rutherford was out, West Indies still needed 72 from 35 balls. Hope and Romario Shepherd needed only 26 balls, and 41 runs came from the 17th and 18th overs alone. Shepherd’s 34 off 13 is the innings that will get forgotten, but it removed any chance of a nervous last over.
The key point is that West Indies never had a “safe” period. Rather than rebuilding after 5 for 2, they kept attacking, and that left India’s bowlers with no breathing space.
Why Was Shai Hope’s Century So Different From His Lucknow Innings?
In the 1st T20I in Lucknow, Hope made a steady 52 off 37 and got out before he could take the innings deep. West Indies then collapsed to 171 all out. In Ranchi, he batted the whole chase, and that one change explains much of the swing between the two games.
The numbers: 102 not out off 45 balls, with 6 fours and 9 sixes. He reached fifty in 24 balls and the hundred in 45, the second fastest T20I hundred by a West Indies batter. It was his second T20I century.
The tempo change: Hope has a reputation as an ODI batter who builds an innings. Here he went for sixes much earlier than usual. Nine sixes means 54 of his runs came from just nine balls. That is the sign of a batter who decided the target was too big for normal T20 batting.
His form against India is remarkable. Across the tour, his scores against India read 104, 162 not out, 52 and now 102 not out. That is 420 runs in four innings across two formats. No other batter on either side comes close to that consistency on this tour.
Hope also kept wicket and captained the side. After the match, he said that chasing in India always gives a team a chance, and that being 5 for 2 made the task very hard. He gave Rutherford credit for the “spark” that turned the game.
For India, the lesson is clear. Hope is the wicket that decides these matches. When he went early in Lucknow, India won by 8 wickets. When he stayed in Ranchi, West Indies chased 250.
How Did India Reach 249 for 5 in the 2nd T20I?
India’s batting performance deserves more credit than it got after the defeat. On another night, 249 would have produced a comfortable win.
Samson answered his critics. After scoring 11 in Lucknow, Sanju Samson was under pressure for his place. He replied with 82 off 41, including 9 fours and 4 sixes, and a 21 ball fifty. That equalled India’s fastest T20I fifty against West Indies, a mark first set by Virat Kohli at the Wankhede in 2019.
The powerplay was India’s best ever against West Indies. Samson and Abhishek Sharma added 42 in under four overs before Abhishek was caught off Roston Chase for 20. India still reached 94 for 1 after six overs, their highest T20I powerplay score against West Indies.
The middle overs stalled. Samson and Ishan Kishan put on 97 off 43 balls. Then Chase bowled Kishan for 43 and bowled Shivam Dube for 7 in successive overs. Dube had been promoted to number four, and the move did not work. Samson was caught by Pooran off a ramp shot in the 15th over. India lost three wickets in a short burst, and a score of 270 suddenly looked unlikely.
Iyer and Tilak rescued the finish. Shreyas Iyer (40 off 18) and Tilak Varma (44 not out off 18) added 83 off 32 balls. Tilak also passed 5,000 runs in all T20 cricket during this innings.
Our view: India were probably 15 to 20 runs short of what this pitch allowed after 94 for 1. That gap mattered later.
What Went Wrong With India’s Bowling in Ranchi?
Defending 249 should not need perfect bowling. India’s attack still fell short in three clear ways.
1. The dew changed the game. Shreyas Iyer said after the match that dew was a major factor and that the margin for error was very small. A wet ball is hard for spinners to grip and makes yorkers difficult for seamers. West Indies chose to bowl first for exactly this reason. In Lucknow, Iyer made the same call and won. The first two matches of the series were both won by the team batting second.
2. India ran short of reliable overs. Mayank Yadav took 3 for 36 but bowled only three overs. Kuldeep Yadav went for 53 in his four overs, and the part time options of Shivam Dube and Naman Dhir were expensive. When two of your five or six bowlers are being targeted, a big target can melt quickly.
3. No plan for Rutherford. Rutherford reached his fifty in 24 balls and hit 7 sixes. He had also top scored in Lucknow with 56. India knew he was dangerous, yet he was allowed to settle and then attack the spinners.
How this compares with the 1st T20I: In Lucknow, Naman Dhir took 3 for 31 on debut and the spinners shared seven wickets. In Ranchi, the same spinners faced a wet ball and West Indies batters who were ready for them. It shows how much T20 in India depends on conditions in the second innings.
Did a Dropped Catch Cost India the 2nd T20I?
This is the question most match reports pass over quickly, but it may be the most important one.
Rutherford was dropped on 38 by Mayank Yadav, off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav. He went on to make 84. That single miss cost India 46 runs, and it kept the most dangerous partnership of the night alive. If the catch had been taken, West Indies would have been four down with Hope’s support gone and well over 150 still needed.
West Indies also dropped catches. Samson was put down twice during his innings, once by Pooran at cover off Akeal Hosein and once by Gudakesh Motie at mid off. So both sides were sloppy in the field, which is common on dewy nights.
The difference is when the drops happened. Samson’s chances came early in an innings where India had plenty of batting to come. Rutherford’s came in the middle of a chase where every wicket would have meant a new batter facing a rate of 13 an over.
Our original angle: In big chases, a dropped catch in the middle phase is worth far more than one at the start or end. The batter is set, the bowlers are tiring, and the field is spread. Rutherford’s 46 extra runs came at exactly that point, which is why we rate it as the turning point of the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I.
Roston Chase’s 3 for 24: The Spell Nobody Is Talking About
In a match where 501 runs were scored, one bowler gave away just 24 runs in four overs. Roston Chase’s off spin was the reason India did not reach 270.
He took the three wickets that slowed India down: Abhishek Sharma caught at mid on, then Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube both bowled. Kishan has now fallen to Chase three times in T20Is, which is a matchup India will have noticed.
To see how good this was, compare it with the rest of the West Indies attack. Excluding Chase, the bowlers gave away about 225 runs from 16 overs, roughly 14 an over. Shamar Springer took two wickets but conceded 64, one of the most expensive two wicket returns by a West Indies bowler in T20Is.
Why it matters going forward: Chase bowled straight and quick, and the batters had to hit against the turn. India’s left handers and power hitters will need a better plan for him in the remaining matches. For fantasy players, Chase is now a strong bowling pick whenever West Indies bowl first.
Records From the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| West Indies’ highest successful T20I chase | 250, beating their 231 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2015 |
| Second highest successful chase in men’s T20Is | Behind only South Africa’s 259 against West Indies in Centurion, 2023 |
| India’s highest T20I total against West Indies | 249/5 |
| Highest target India have failed to defend | 250 |
| Second highest match aggregate in men’s T20Is | 501 runs |
| India’s best powerplay against West Indies | 94/1 |
| Joint fastest India T20I fifty against West Indies | Sanju Samson, 21 balls (equal with Virat Kohli in 2019) |
| Second fastest West Indies T20I hundred | Shai Hope, 45 balls |
| Tilak Varma | Passed 5,000 runs in all T20 cricket |
There is a twist in the record book. The only bigger chase in men’s T20I history was South Africa’s 259 in Centurion in 2023, and West Indies were the side that conceded it. Three years later, they are now on the right side of the second biggest. You can check the full list of T20I records on the ICC website.
India vs West Indies 2nd T20I: Player Ratings
| Player | Team | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Hope | West Indies | 9.5 | Batted through the chase as captain and keeper |
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | 9 | 84 off 37 and the spark Hope talked about |
| Roston Chase | West Indies | 9 | 3 for 24 in a 501 run match |
| Sanju Samson | India | 8.5 | Best possible reply to the pressure on his place |
| Romario Shepherd | West Indies | 8 | 34 off 13 killed off the chase quickly |
| Tilak Varma | India | 8 | 44 not out off 18 and a big career milestone |
| Mayank Yadav | India | 7 | Three wickets, but the Rutherford drop hurt |
| Shreyas Iyer | India | 6.5 | Quick 40 with the bat, few options with the ball |
| Kuldeep Yadav | India | 5 | 1 for 53 with a wet ball |
| Shamar Springer | West Indies | 5 | Two key wickets, but 64 runs conceded |
What Happened Next and What Does This Result Mean for the Series?
India responded well. In the 3rd T20I in Indore on October 11, they made 223 after being sent in, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 69 off 30 balls. West Indies finished on 209 for 7, and India won by 14 runs. Arshdeep Singh was Player of the Match for his 3 for 44. India now lead the series 2 to 1, with the 4th T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday, October 14. The full Indore scorecard is on ESPNcricinfo.
So what did the Ranchi result really change?
West Indies proved they can beat India in India. Before this match, the 1st T20I had made India look much stronger. After the ODI chase of 352 in Mullanpur and now this chase of 250, West Indies have shown twice on this tour that no target is safe when Hope is set.
India’s sixth bowler problem is real. India made changes for Indore, and the bowling held up better on a night when West Indies did not get a big partnership. The question will return in the next game played on a dewy pitch.
Our prediction update: After Lucknow, we expected India to win the series 4 to 1. Ranchi changes that. We now see the series ending 3 to 2 to India, with at least one more high scoring chase. You can follow every fixture in our West Indies tour of India 2026 schedule guide.
What Did India Learn From the Ranchi Defeat?
This defeat gave India a few lessons, and they apply to fans and fantasy players too.
Batting first in India needs 270, not 250. With dew and small boundaries, par scores in Indian T20Is have risen. When India were 94 for 1, the plan should have been to keep the top order batting deep, not to promote Dube to number four.
Take your catches in the middle overs. The Rutherford drop decided this match. India’s fielding drills before Hyderabad will likely focus on high catches under lights.
Win the toss, chase. Two of the first three matches were won by the chasing side. Captains who win the toss will keep bowling first unless the pitch looks dry.
For fantasy players:
- Pick Shai Hope as captain in matches where West Indies bat second.
- Roston Chase is a strong differential bowler on any surface.
- Samson and Abhishek are the best Indian top order picks after their recent scores.
For more on how India’s T20I squad is shaping up, read our India T20I squad news and injury updates.
Who Was Player of the Match in the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I?
Shai Hope was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 102 off 45 balls. He came in at the top of the chase, saw two wickets fall in the first over and finished the game with nine balls to spare. Sanju Samson’s 82 and Roston Chase’s 3 for 24 were the other strong candidates.
India vs West Indies 2nd T20I FAQs
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Who won the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I?
West Indies won by 6 wickets in Ranchi on October 9, 2026. They chased 250 in 18.3 overs, with 9 balls left, to level the five match series at 1 to 1.
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What was the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I score?
India scored 249 for 5 in 20 overs after being sent in to bat. West Indies replied with 252 for 4 in 18.3 overs.
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Who scored a century in the 2nd T20I between India and West Indies?
West Indies captain Shai Hope scored 102 not out off 45 balls, with 6 fours and 9 sixes. It was his second T20I hundred.
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Was this the highest chase in T20I history?
No. It was the second highest successful chase in men’s T20Is. The record is South Africa’s chase of 259 against West Indies in Centurion in 2023. The Ranchi chase is the highest in West Indies’ T20I history.
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Who was the top scorer for India in the 2nd T20I?
Sanju Samson top scored with 82 off 41 balls. He reached his fifty in 21 balls, equal to India’s fastest T20I fifty against West Indies.
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Who took the most wickets in the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I?
Mayank Yadav (3 for 36) and Roston Chase (3 for 24) took three wickets each. Chase was far more economical in a match that produced 501 runs.
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Where was the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I played?
It was played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
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What is the series score after the India vs West Indies 2nd T20I?
The series was level at 1 to 1 after Ranchi. India then won the 3rd T20I in Indore by 14 runs to lead 2 to 1, with the 4th T20I in Hyderabad on October 14.
The Final Word From Ranchi
The India vs West Indies 2nd T20I will be remembered for Shai Hope’s century, but the result came from three moments working together: Hope deciding to attack after 5 for 2, Rutherford surviving on 38, and Roston Chase keeping India below 250. India batted well enough to win most T20Is. They lost because West Indies had a captain in the best form of his career and a partner willing to take every risk with him.
For India, Indore showed they can bounce back quickly. For West Indies, Ranchi showed that this team is far more dangerous than the Lucknow result suggested. With two matches left, the series is wide open. Our India vs West Indies 1st T20I result report shows how different the opening game looked, and our India vs West Indies 1st ODI result covers how this long tour began. For a second view of the Ranchi chase, see the Olympics.com match report.
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