Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan (Pic credit: BCCI)
NEW DELHI: India’s batting firepower was on full display in Ranchi on Friday as Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma powered the hosts to their highest-ever T20I total against West Indies, piling up a staggering 249/5 in the second match of the five-game series. The total surpassed India’s previous highest T20I score against West Indies — 244/4 at Lauderhill in 2016, when India eventually lost a last-ball thriller by just one run. India had also posted 240/3 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in 2019 and 209/4 in Hyderabad that same year. After managing only 11 in the series opener in Lucknow, Samson responded emphatically, bringing up his half-century in just 21 balls to match Virat Kohli’s record for the joint-fastest fifty by an Indian against West Indies in T20Is. India’s powerplay score of 79/1 was also their highest against West Indies in T20Is, surpassing the previous mark of 72 without loss at Wankhede in 2019. The onslaught also underlined India’s extraordinary six-hitting form in 2026. The side had already struck more than 300 sixes in T20Is this calendar year, surpassing its previous record of 289 in 2022. No other full-member side had crossed 250 sixes in a calendar year. With a target of 250 to chase, West Indies needed an extraordinary response to stay alive in the match and level the series. Brief score: India 249/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 82, Ishan Kishan 43, Shreyas Iyer 40, Tilak Varma 44 not out; Roston Chase 3/24).