When West Indies walked out to chase 250, they needed the second-highest successful chase in T20I history. When they lost two wickets in the first over — Kamil Pooran (4) and Shimron Hetmyer (golden duck) — the game seemed all but over. At 5/2, with the required rate climbing, the odds were stacked heavily against the visitors.Source: ESPNcricinfo

What followed was a batting display that will be remembered for years. Shai Hope, opening the batting, refused to let the early setbacks dictate the innings. He found an ally in Rovman Powell, who smashed a quickfire 24 off 13 balls, helping West Indies race to 72 in the powerplay. Powell’s dismissal in the sixth over brought Sherfane Rutherford to the crease.Source: ICC

From that moment on, it was pure carnage. Hope and Rutherford took the attack to the Indian bowlers, dismantling the spin duo of Axar Patel (0/63) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/53) with a barrage of boundaries and sixes. Their 120-run partnership off just 54 balls turned a seemingly impossible chase into a cakewalk.Source: CricTracker

Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 45 balls was not just a century — it was a statement. The West Indies captain, who had already scored two ODI centuries on this tour, produced the innings of his life on the biggest stage.Source: News18

Hope reached his fifty off just 24 balls, mixing aggression with composure. He attacked the spinners with disdain, using his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and clearing the boundary with ease. His nine sixes were a career-best, and his strike rate of 226.67 was the highest by a West Indies batter in a T20I century.Source: ESPNcricinfo

What made Hope’s innings even more special was the context. He came in after the early collapse, batted through the innings, and remained unbeaten till the end. He brought up his century off just 45 balls — the fastest by a West Indies batter against India in T20Is — with a towering six off Axar Patel.Source: LatestLY

Hope’s knock was the second-fastest T20I century by a West Indies player, behind only Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton. It was also the joint-fastest century by any captain against India in T20Is.Source: LatestLY

If Hope was the anchor, Sherfane Rutherford was the storm. The left-hander smashed 84 off just 37 balls, including seven fours and seven sixes, completely taking the game away from India.Source: The Hindu

Rutherford reached his fifty off just 24 balls — joint-fourth fastest for West Indies against India in T20Is. He was particularly severe on Kuldeep Yadav, smashing the leg-spinner for three consecutive sixes in the 13th over. His 120-run partnership with Hope off 54 balls was the highest fourth-wicket stand for West Indies in T20Is, breaking the previous record of 103 between Dwayne Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer.Source: CricTracker

Rutherford was dropped on 38 by Mayank Yadav off Kuldeep’s bowling, and he made India pay dearly for that reprieve. He continued his assault, eventually falling for 84 in the 15th over, but by then the damage was done.Source: News18