Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and Afghanistan, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo)
Shai Hope struck another century as West Indies beat India by 24 runs in the fourth Twenty20 in Hyderabad on Wednesday to level the five-match series at 2-2. Shreyas Iyer added 16 off 11 balls, while Abhishek Sharma scored 29 before Gudakesh Motie sent the opener back. India mounted another push towards the end through Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tilak Varma, who put together 70 runs off just 32 balls to keep the chase alive. India last played a T20I in Bengaluru on January 17, 2024, when they faced Afghanistan in the third and final match of the series. Jaiswal fell at 18 in the third over, Kohli was dismissed at the same score in the fourth, Shivam Dube departed at 21, and India lost their fourth wicket at 22. Rohit became the first batter to score five centuries in T20 internationals, rescuing India from a position where they had lost four wickets for just 22 runs.
Earlier in the match, Rohit had won the toss and elected to bat. India had already secured the series by winning the first two games. But the final match was far from a dead rubber. It produced a series of dramatic moments, including two Super Overs and a controversial episode involving Rohit Sharma. The drama continued moments later. With two runs needed off the final ball of first super over, Rohit, who was at the non-striker’s end, walked off to allow Rinku Singh to take over the running. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s bottom edge went straight to the wicketkeeper, and India could manage only a single, leaving the first Super Over tied. India suffered a disastrous start, losing four wickets inside the powerplay.
