Keemo Paul's Five-Wicket Burst and Shai Hope's 102 Level T20I Series 2-2 in Hyderabad

Late on Wednesday night, the West Indies took the five-match T20I series to a decider. They beat India by 24 runs in Hyderabad after posting 247/3 and then bowling the hosts out for 223 in 19.4 overs. The series is now level at 2-2, with the final match in Bengaluru on Saturday. India had gone 2-1 up with a 14-run win in Indore (see our earlier coverage). The visitors have now answered with their highest total of the series.

The over that settled it

For most of the chase, India looked capable of pulling off something big. With three overs left, they were 200/6. Nitish Kumar Reddy was going strongly and had already hit four sixes. Pace bowler Keemo Paul then decided the match in a single over. In the 19th over, he had Reddy caught in the deep for 41 off 20 balls, and next ball he bowled Prince Yadav with a well-disguised slower delivery. A few balls later, Axar Patel holed out to deep midwicket for 3, and Paul had his five-wicket haul. That left India needing 35 off the final over with one wicket in hand. Arshdeep Singh then felt pain early in the last over and could not carry on, which ended the innings on 223.

Paul had already made the first breakthrough of the chase. In the fifth over, he removed Sanju Samson for a 23-ball 56 that included six fours and four sixes. In the same over, he had Ishan Kishan caught for 6. Samson had raced to a 22-ball fifty, and India were 60 without loss after four overs, ahead of the required rate.

Hope's second hundred of the series

The West Indies innings was built around captain Shai Hope. He finished unbeaten on 102 off 50 balls and reached three figures with a six off the final delivery of the innings. It was his second T20I century of the series. Debutant Jewel Andrew gave them a fast start with 21 off 16 balls before Axar trapped him lbw. Shimron Hetmyer then hit 33 off just 12 balls before Prince Yadav took a sharp return catch.

From there, the scoring barely slowed. Rovman Powell made 24 and Sherfane Rutherford finished unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls. India gave away 22 runs in each of three separate overs. Mayank Yadav's four overs cost 52 runs without a wicket, and Axar went for 45 while taking one. India had chosen to bowl after captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss, and that decision will be examined closely now.

Middle-order wobble

Once Samson was out, India's chase lost its way in the middle overs. Iyer made 16 before slicing a catch to deep point. Abhishek Sharma struggled to 29 off 24 balls. Spinner Gudakesh Motie then struck twice in the 12th over, including Naman Dhir, who was stumped first ball. Some fans online questioned the stumping decision after replays. Tilak Varma, with 43 off 25 balls, and Reddy added a quick fifty stand that kept India in the hunt, but the required rate never came down far enough.

Looking ahead to Bengaluru

Saturday's decider now matters for both teams. India have to decide whether to stick with the attack that conceded 247. They will also be waiting for an update on Arshdeep's fitness after he left the field in the final over. The West Indies will go into the game having shown that Hope's batting can outscore India's top order on a good surface.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.