The winning streak had reached ten. India were posting 249 for 5. Ranchi was stunned by the size of the total. West Indies were 178 for 4 with six overs left and needing 72 more. Then one man kept batting. He batted through every pressure phase. He batted his team into cricket history. And Shai Hope finished the night as West Indies Level Series 1-1 in Ranchi.
The Result That Changed the Series
West Indies beat India by six wickets in the 2nd T20I at JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on October 9, 2026. India posted 249 for 5 from their 20 overs. West Indies chased 250 in 17.3 overs with six wickets remaining.
This was the second-highest successful T20I run chase in cricket history. West Indies ended India’s ten-match T20I winning streak. The five-match series is now level at 1-1 with three matches remaining across Indore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
India’s First Innings: 249 for 5
India batted first after West Indies won the toss and chose to field. The JSCA surface was fast with good bounce. India attacked from the first ball.
Sanju Samson was the star of India’s innings. He scored 82 off 49 balls with six fours and three sixes. He reached his fifty off just 21 balls. At the drinks break in the 10th over, India were 127 for 1 with Samson on 72 and Kishan on 33. Their partnership gave India the foundation for everything that followed in the second half of the innings.
Shreyas Iyer contributed 40 in the middle overs. Tilak Varma then exploded in the death with 44 off just 18 balls to push India past 240. India finished on 249 for 5 from their 20 overs. The powerplay produced 79 runs for the loss of one wicket, confirming from the opening over that this was a fast surface on which big totals were possible.
Ishan Kishan fell to Roston Chase for the third time in T20I cricket. That specific dismissal pattern has now become a tactical note for West Indies across all formats. Arshdeep Singh was the one concern in India’s bowling, conceding 45 runs from his four overs without taking a wicket.
The Chase: Hope Refuses to Lose
West Indies needed 250. Shimron Hetmyer gave them an aggressive start at the top of the order. The powerplay produced momentum from ball one. But wickets fell. West Indies were 178 for 4 by the 14th over with the match appearing to be slipping away from them.
Sherfane Rutherford arrived and completely changed the complexion of the chase. He scored 84 off just 37 balls. His brutal hitting in the middle and death overs took West Indies from competitive to match-winning inside six overs.
He and Shai Hope put on 120 runs from 43 balls, the highest fourth-wicket partnership for West Indies in T20I cricket. The previous record was 103, set by Dwayne Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer.
Hope was the anchor throughout the entire chase. He scored 100 not out off 45 balls with seven fours and eight sixes. He managed every phase of the innings. He allowed Rutherford to attack while he rotated strike and kept the required rate under control. He then finished the game with boundaries in the 18th over. West Indies reached 250 for 4 in 17.3 overs to win by six wickets with 15 balls remaining.
How West Indies Got There: The Innings in Full
At the drinks break in the 10th over, West Indies were 122 for 3 with Hope on 54 and Rutherford on 39. They needed 128 more from 60 balls. The required rate was above 12. It looked steep.
West Indies reached 150 in the 11th over. They reached 200 in the 16th over off a 50-run partnership between Shepherd and Hope across 21 balls. They reached 250 in the 18th over. Hope completed his century off 45 balls.
Romario Shepherd was unbeaten on 34 alongside him at the finish. Six wickets in hand. Fifteen balls remaining. The second-highest successful T20I run chase in history completed in Ranchi.
What Ended India’s Ten-Match Winning Streak
India’s ten-match winning streak ended because West Indies batted better than any team India have faced across this entire run. Their powerplay was aggressive. Their middle-order partnership broke a T20I record. Their captain scored a century chasing 250. Against that quality, a 249 for 5 total was not enough.
Arshdeep Singh’s death bowling was the one area India’s team management will need to address. He conceded 45 from his four overs without a wicket. That economy rate in the death overs against West Indies’ aggressive batting is a specific tactical problem the camp will analyse seriously before Indore on October 11.
Shai Hope: The Series Defining Player
Hope is now the defining player of this entire West Indies tour of India. He scored 104 in the first ODI. He scored 145 not out in the dead rubber ODI in Chandigarh. He scored 100 not out chasing 250 in Ranchi. Three centuries in six matches across two formats. All significant. All defining the innings they came in.
His century chasing 250 is arguably the greatest individual innings he has ever played in T20I cricket. His standing among the active batters who can anchor an innings while also accelerating above a strike rate of 220 is explored in our piece on the top 10 active batsmen in the world, where his consistent excellence across this entire tour adds a compelling new chapter to his case.
India’s Streak Ends: What Comes Next
Ten consecutive T20I wins across Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, the Asian Games, and Lucknow. The streak started in July 2026. It ended on October 9 in Ranchi. One loss in ten does not change India’s T20I trajectory toward LA 2028.
The three remaining matches across Indore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru now carry genuine series significance. West Indies are level at 1-1. A win for West Indies in Indore gives them the series lead for the first time.
How Iyer’s captaincy responds to this specific setback is the most interesting storyline heading into the third match. Our piece on why Shreyas Iyer replaced Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain explores the broader framework for his appointment and what this series means for India’s Olympic cycle planning.
The Series So Far
India won the first T20I in Lucknow by eight wickets with Iyer scoring 102 not out. West Indies won the second in Ranchi by six wickets with Hope scoring 100 not out. The third T20I is in Indore on October 11. The fourth is in Hyderabad on October 14. The fifth is in Bengaluru on October 17.
Conclusion
Shai Hope scored 100 not out off 45 balls chasing 250 in Ranchi. Sherfane Rutherford hit 84 off 37. Their 120-run fourth-wicket partnership broke a West Indies T20I record. India posted 249 for 5 with Samson’s 82 anchoring the innings. West Indies chased it in 17.3 overs. The second-highest successful T20I run chase in history. India’s ten-match winning streak is over. The series is 1-1. Indore on October 11 is where the real contest begins.
