The fourth T20I of India‘s five-match home series against West Indies takes place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on October 14, 2026. India lead 2-1 after a nervy victory in Indore, and a win here would seal the series with one match remaining. Ahead of this fixture, it is worth revisiting what unfolded the last time these two sides met at this ground, in December 2019, a match that produced one of the more celebrated T20I innings seen in India.
West Indies batted first on December 6, 2019, in the opening match of a three-match T20I series and posted 207/5 in their 20 overs. India chased down the target of 208, finishing on 209/4 in 18.4 overs to win by six wickets.
From the moment Evin Lewis attacked Washington Sundar in the first over, West Indies were intent on posting a defendable total. Lendl Simmons fell early to Deepak Chahar, but Brandon King hit the third ball he faced for four. Lewis made 40 off 17 before falling in the sixth over. When King fell in the 11th over, Shimron Hetmyer immediately hit Ravindra Jadeja for four. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled the 18th over and removed both Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard to limit the damage, but Jason Holder’s nine-ball 24 pushed West Indies to a total India had never successfully chased before.
How did India overhaul the target in Hyderabad?
KL Rahul, back as opener in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, gave India the quick start they needed. He attacked Holder in the second over and kept India in the chase even as Rohit Sharma fell early and Virat Kohli struggled for timing. Along the way, Rahul reached 1,000 T20 international runs, becoming the third-fastest to the milestone in terms of innings taken. He finished with 62 off 40 balls before being dismissed.
Kohli began with three runs off nine balls in a two-runs-a-ball chase and spent much of the middle overs fighting himself, shanking deliveries and visibly frustrated. At the halfway point of the chase, India still needed to score at 11.9 runs per over. A top edge off a Holder slower bouncer sailed over for six, and Kohli then smacked a full toss for four in the same over. What followed from there was a merciless takedown of the West Indies bowlers, with a fired-up Kohli remaining unbeaten on 94 off 50 balls to seal India’s sixth consecutive successful home chase and their second-highest successful chase overall at the time.
What was the Kohli-Williams rivalry that defined the Hyderabad match?
The backdrop to Kohli’s innings was a running rivalry with West Indies fast bowler Kesrick Williams. During a T20I in Jamaica in 2017, Williams dismissed Kohli and celebrated by pulling out an imaginary notebook from his pocket and pretending to tick off Kohli’s name. Kohli was clearly unhappy with the theatrical send-off.
The Hyderabad match in December 2019 became the stage for Kohli’s response. In the 13th over, Williams bowled two no-balls, yet Kohli was still visibly struggling for timing against him. When Kohli eventually smashed Williams for a massive six, he turned and mimicked the signature notebook celebration, pretending to tick off Williams’ name in return.
It was a moment that captured the intensity of the contest and the capacity crowd at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Kohli’s unbeaten 94 off 50 balls sealed the win and completed the payback in emphatic fashion. India went on to win the three-match series 2-1, with Kohli named Player of the Series after scoring 183 runs across the three matches.
