They survived the Powerplay damage and then out-hit the target in a single long stand. Mayank Yadav removed Pooran and Hetmyer inside the first four balls, and Powell followed in the sixth over, leaving the chasers on 58 for 3. Shai Hope and Rutherford then added 120 from only 54 balls, turning an apparent collapse into a six-wicket win with nine balls to spare. The 252 for 4 in Ranchi levelled the series after a start that had looked fatal.
Early Wickets Failed to Slow the Chase
India batted first at Ranchi on 9 October and finished on 249 for 5. Samson led the way with 82, Kishan made 43, Tilak stayed unbeaten on 44, and Iyer added 40. Samson and Kishan between them supplied 125 of those runs, and Tilak and Iyer then pushed the total past 240. It was a total that normally ends a match before the second innings begins.
Mayank gave the hosts the start they wanted. Pooran and Hetmyer both fell inside 0.4 overs, and Powell departed in the 5.1st over, so the Powerplay closed with West Indies on 72 for 3. The required rate sat near 12.7 an over at that stage, which is high but still within reach.
Hope and Rutherford Rewrite the Chase
The turning point was the fourth-wicket partnership. Hope and Rutherford took the score from 58 for 3 to 178 for 4, a stand of 120 off 54 balls. Their fifty arrived in 23 balls and the hundred in 43, a tempo that made the target look routine.
Hope was the central figure, finishing on 102 not out from 45 balls. As the stand grew, the asking rate fell from 12.94 after 31 balls to 12.34 after 85, and the finish came with nine balls unused. By the 60th ball the score was 122 for 3, and the required rate had barely moved from where the Powerplay finished. The table below tracks that shift ball by ball.
Balls faced | Score | Required rate |
|---|---|---|
0 | 0/0 | 12.50 |
4 | 5/2 | 12.67 |
31 | 58/3 | 12.94 |
36 | 72/3 | 12.71 |
60 | 122/3 | 12.80 |
85 | 178/4 | 12.34 |
111 | 252/4 | Won |
India vs West Indies T20I 2026 Shreyas Iyer
The scoreline carries historical weight. Only one men’s T20I chase has been successful with a bigger target, South Africa’s 259 against the same opponents at Centurion in 2023, so Ranchi sits second on that list. For a home side defending 249, the defeat stands out.
It also adds to a worrying pattern for the captain. KKR scored 261 for 6 and lost to PBKS on 26 April 2024, and PBKS then made 245 for 6 and lost to SRH on 12 April 2025. India’s 249 for 5 on 9 October 2026 became the third time a side he led failed to defend 240 or more.
Bowling Figures Tell the Costly Story
No bowler escaped the damage. Mayank took 3 for 36, and Kuldeep took 1 for 53, but the others went wicketless, and every economy rate was above 11. Axar Patel suffered most, conceding 63 in 3.3 overs, a rate of 18 an over.
Arshdeep Singh’s 45 from four overs was the cheapest return, which shows how little room the attack had. A total above 240 usually gives bowlers room to experiment, but these figures show how quickly that cushion disappeared. Dube and Dhir also leaked runs in short spells, and the lack of control let the Hope and Rutherford stand run uninterrupted.
India bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mayank Yadav | 3 | 36 | 3 | 12.00 |
Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 45 | 0 | 11.25 |
Axar Patel | 3.3 | 63 | 0 | 18.00 |
Shivam Dube | 2 | 30 | 0 | 15.00 |
Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 53 | 1 | 13.25 |
Naman Dhir | 2 | 25 | 0 | 12.50 |
A Level Series Heads to Hyderabad
The series stands at 1-1, since India had won in Lucknow by eight wickets before Ranchi. The third match was set for Indore on 11 October at 7 pm IST. Two more games follow, with Hyderabad hosting the fourth on 14 October and Bengaluru the fifth on 17 October, both at 7 pm IST.
The India vs West Indies T20I 2026 Shreyas Iyer story now turns to how the captain reshapes a bowling group that was so easy to hit. Tighter control and smarter use of Axar will matter more than adding another big batting total.
Was Ranchi a failure of the bowlers or a masterclass from Hope? Tell us in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What was the score in the 2nd T20I at Ranchi?
West Indies scored 252 for 4 and beat India by six wickets. India had made 249 for 5, and the chase ended in 18.3 overs.
Who scored the century in the Ranchi chase?
Shai Hope scored 102 not out off 45 balls. His partnership with Rutherford produced 120 runs in only 54 balls, and it decided the match for West Indies.
What is the biggest target ever chased in men’s T20Is?
South Africa chased down 259 against West Indies at Centurion in 2023. Ranchi now ranks second, with the target of 250 just short of that total.
Which captain failed to defend a big total in Ranchi?
Shreyas Iyer, whose India side lost after making 249 for 5. He has now seen sides he led fall short against 240-plus scores on three occasions.
When is the next match in the series?
The fourth match is on 14 October in Hyderabad. It starts at 7 pm IST, and the series finale follows in Bengaluru on 17 October after the third match in Indore.