India suffered a shocking 24-run defeat to West Indies in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Asked to bat first, the visitors posted a massive 247/3 in 20 overs, with captain Shai Hope leading from the front with an unbeaten 102 off just 50 balls. In reply, India got off to a promising start, courtesy of a half-century from opener Sanju Samson. Tilak Varma (43) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) then added a crucial 70-run partnership off 32 balls to keep the hosts in contention. However, India eventually fell short and were restricted to 223/9.
After the defeat, Samson reflected on how the partnership between Tilak and Nitish kept India in the hunt during the chase. He also admitted that Tilak’s dismissal in the 17th over proved to be a turning point, shifting the momentum in West Indies’ favour.
“We were chasing a score around 250, so we can’t really anchor the innings. So, we had to go from ball one and that’s what everyone tried to do. Till Tilak and Reddy were batting, we were still in the game. Needing 12-13 runs per over, I think the game was still on,” said Samson during the post-match press conference.
“The turning point of the match was when Tilak got out. We were closing the game. We were scoring those 10-20 runs per over really nicely. Reddy and Tilak were taking the pressure moments and were batting really well. Till that moment we were in the chase,” he added.
Samson further praised West Indies captain Shai Hope, whose second century of the series played a pivotal role in helping his side register an emphatic victory and keep the contest alive in the ongoing series.
“We have been having good discussions in team meetings. We tried a couple of things in the last game and that worked out really nicely. Arshdeep got him out from around the stumps. He’s playing really well and we need to respect what he has been doing. He has been playing some really good cricketing shots,” he added.
With this win, West Indies have levelled the five-match series 2-2 against India. The series finale match will be played on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
