Tuna Shai Hope, sink Keemo Paul with five for India; West Indies level series in Hyderabad

India fell 24 runs short of a target of 248 as West Indies won the fourth T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, leveling the five-match series at 2-2.Sanju Samson got India off to a flying start with 56 off 23 balls, but Keemo Paul struck twice in the fifth over to dismiss Samson and Ishan Kishan, spoiling the chase.Shreyas Iyer (16 off 11) also fell soon after Gudakesh Motie removed Abhishek Sharma (29 off 24) and Naman Dhir (0 off 1) in the 12th over. India were reduced to 130/5 and needed a big partnership to stay in the contest.Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy added 70 runs for the sixth wicket to bring India back into the game. Tilak scored 43 off 25 balls while Reddy made 41 off 20. However, Tilak fell in the 17th and Reddy was dismissed in the 19th, leaving India with too much to do.Paul led the West Indies bowling effort, taking five wickets for 41 runs in his four overs to help seal the victory.The series is now level at 2-2, with the fifth and final T20I to be played in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.Earlier, Shai Hope hit an unbeaten century to help West Indies post 247/3 after being asked to bat. He completed his hundred with a six off the last ball of the innings to finish on 102 not out off 50 deliveries.Sherfane Rutherford provided support at the other end, scoring an unbeaten 49 off 26 balls. The pair added 91 runs in 43 balls to propel the visitors to a big total.West Indies hit 16 sixes and received 18 bonus runs as the Indian bowlers struggled to contain them. Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh conceded 52 runs each in their four overs, while missed chances in the field also hurt India.Hope’s century was his second of the series, fourth on tour and third in T20 Internationals.