The Kerala batter matched milestone marks set by Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, but Shai Hope’s 45-ball century sealed a historic six-wicket victory for the visitors.
RANCHI, India —Sanju Samson’s scintillating 41-ball 82 went unrewarded on Friday as West Indies pulled off the second-highest successful run chase in men’s T20 International history, overhauling India’s formidable 249 to square the five-match series.
RANCHI, India — Sanju Samson’s scintillating 41-ball 82 went unrewarded on Friday as West Indies pulled off the second-highest successful run chase in men’s T20 International history, overhauling India’s formidable 249 to square the five-match series.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter produced a clinic in boundary-hitting at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, matching benchmarks previously established by Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh. Yet, an extraordinary counter-punch from West Indies captain Shai Hope and middle-order stalwart Sherfane Rutherford turned an apparent Indian victory march into a stunning six-wicket defeat.
Opening the innings, Samson seized early control, striking nine boundaries and clearing the rope four times. His 21-ball half-century drew him level with Kohli for the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian batter against West Indies, a record set at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in December 2019.
Driven by Samson’s intent, India surged to 79/1 within the first six overs—their highest-ever powerplay total against the Caribbean side in the shortest format. India eventually closed their innings on 249/5, a total that historically ensured safe passage on home soil.
Samson’s knock also placed him alongside Yuvraj Singh in another exclusive register: both now possess five T20I half-centuries scored at a strike rate of 200 or higher. Suryakumar Yadav leads that category for India with 13, followed by Abhishek Sharma on 12.
Any expectations of a comfortable defence evaporated once West Indies stepped out. The visitors dismantled India’s bowling attack with ruthless precision, racing to 252/4 in only 18.3 overs.
Hope led from the front with a blistering, unbeaten 102 from 45 deliveries. He found an equally destructive partner in Rutherford, whose 37-ball 84 derailed the hosts’ middle-overs plans and eliminated the required run-rate pressure well before the death overs.
The outcome leaves the five-match series locked at 1-1, offering Samson individual redemption after a muted opening fixture, but leaving India’s bowling unit with pressing questions ahead of game three.
