Hope springs eternal as West Indies begin their biggest chase in T20Is in Ranchi

Captain Shai Hope led from the front with a 45-ball 102 as West Indies staged a record-breaking chase to beat India by six wickets in the second T20 International to level the five-match series at 1-1 in Ranchi on Friday.West Indies looked in trouble as Mayank Yadav struck twice at the start of their chase before dismissing Rovman Powell in the sixth over to leave the visitors 58-3. But Hope and Sherfane Rutherford turned the match on its head with a 120-run stand for the fourth wicket. Rutherford smashed 84 off 37 balls as Hope remained unbeaten on 102 off 45 as West Indies chased India’s target of 250 runs with nine balls to spare.Hope and Rutherford’s 120-run partnership was West Indies’ highest for a fourth wicket in T20Is, beating the previous record of 103 by Dwayne Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer.Hope sealed the historic chase by hitting Axar Patel for a six, bringing his century close in the process. The total also became West Indies’ most successful run in T20I cricket.At the halfway stage, India’s total of 249/5 put them in a strong position, but West Indies made light work of the target despite losing wickets in the over. The visitors hit 20 sixes and 21 fours while scoring 204 runs over the boundary themselves.Earlier, Sanju Samson returned to form with a knock of 82 before Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma’s quick strikes helped India post 249/5 in the first innings.After four consecutive low scores, Samson hit a 21-ball half-century, his ninth in T20Is, and shared 97 runs off 43 balls with Ishan Kishan. Their partnership helped India reach their highest T20I total against the West Indies.The pair took India to 139/1 in 11 overs at a run rate of over 12. Kishan contributed 43 off 22 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes.West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase, however, broke the partnership after returning to the attack during the middle overs, taking two wickets in consecutive overs.Kishan and Shivam Dube, who scored seven, were both dropped while attempting shots over the line. India’s decision to promote Dube to No.4 didn’t work as he managed just seven runs off 10 balls before being dismissed.Samson’s innings also ended in the 15th over, 18 runs short of a century. His ramp shot over deep backward point went straight to Kamil Pooran.India lost three wickets for 23 runs in the middle overs but captain Iyer kept the score up. After hitting his maiden T20I century in Lucknow, he continued his run with an 18-ball 40, counter-attacking with a string of quick runs.Tilak, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 44 off 18 balls to help India finish with 249/5.