West Indies beat India by 6 wickets at Ranchi – West Indies 252/4 to India 249/5

West Indies captain Shai Hope said at the toss he preferred to bowl with the expectation of dew later in the evening. “We all know this (dew). Also, considering T20 cricket and how the West Indies have played, we're comfortable chasing,” Hope said, adding that it was “already a bit wet” and would likely get worse.

Samson sets the tempo

India’s surge was driven by Sanju Samson, who responded to scrutiny after a quiet first T20I with a brutal counterattack at the top. Earlier in the innings, he brought up a half-century in just 21 balls, turning the powerplay into a statement of intent.

At the end of six overs, India were 79/1, with Samson on 52 from 21 deliveries. His fifty featured six fours and three sixes, and the early momentum left West Indies’ bowlers searching for control.

Abhishek Sharma helped provide the spark at the other end, striking 20 from 12 before becoming the first wicket to fall. Roston Chase took that breakthrough, and he remained central to West Indies’ attempts to slow the scoring.

As the innings wore on, the scoreboard pressure only grew. By 12 overs, India had reached 144/2, with Samson deep into the 70s and Shivam Dube newly arrived at the crease. Chase’s figures at that stage read 3 overs, 17 runs and 2 wickets, a rare bright patch in a difficult spell.

India’s line-up for the match included Shreyas Iyer as captain and Samson as wicketkeeper, with Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Dube, Naman Dhir and Axar Patel among the batting and all-round options. The bowling group listed Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav.

West Indies’ XI was led by Hope, who also kept wicket, and featured Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Chase, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie.

The visitors’ decision to bowl first was framed as a calculated play, not a defensive one. Hope’s toss comments pointed to the expected slickness later, and to a batting group built to hunt down targets.

That confidence comes with context. Just before the T20I leg began, West Indies chased down 352/5 in 48.2 overs to beat India’s 351/7 in the third ODI at New Chandigarh on 3 October, sealing the match with 10 balls to spare.

They will also take note of Ranchi’s limited but telling T20 history. The ground’s highest successful chase in men’s T20Is is 155/3 by India against New Zealand in 2021, while the biggest winning chase in top-level T20s at the venue is 189/4 by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Chennai Super Kings in 2014. A high target is not automatically a death sentence here, but it demands clean hitting and smart match-ups.

For India, the urgency is simple. A win would open a 2-0 lead in a short series and keep the pressure on West Indies’ middle order, which has been prone to feast-or-famine stretches in T20 cricket.

Match officials for Friday’s game were listed as umpires Jayaraman Madanagopal and Rohan Pandit, with Nitin Menon also named among the officials.

What’s next in the series

The schedule moves quickly. The third T20I is set for Sunday, 11 October, with a listed start time of 8:30 AM, followed by a fourth match on Wednesday, 14 October, also slated for 8:30 AM.

For now, the story remains in motion in Ranchi. India’s late-innings choices, and West Indies’ response under lights and dew, will decide whether Friday becomes another chase to remember or a home side’s clean break in the series.