West Indies defeated India by 24 runs in the 4th T20I at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on October 14, 2026. The visitors scored 247 for 3 in their innings, with Shai Hope hitting an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls to become the first West Indies player to score three T20I centuries. India managed 223 in 19.3 overs, leaving the series level at 2-2.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra analysed the match and pointed to India’s bowling approach as a key factor in the defeat. Chopra stated that India’s bowling unit failed to adapt to the conditions and match-ups that West Indies employed effectively.
“The bowling was ordinary. It seemed like the pitch was flat when the Indian team was bowling. It seemed like something started happening on the pitch when India came to bat because the West Indies bowled a lot of into-the-pitch slower ones, which we didn’t do,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
India’s bowling approach in the 4th T20I
Chopra elaborated on India’s specific bowling shortcomings during the West Indies innings. He noted that India’s slower-ball strategy was significantly less frequent than what West Indies deployed, which allowed the opposition batters to dominate.
“We bowled only around nine slower ones, which was not right. We were also serving full tosses. Our bowling was actually quite ordinary, and the West Indies made the most of it, thrashed us a lot, and reached close to 250,” Chopra said.
Samson’s aggressive start and the middle-order collapse
India’s chase began with aggressive batting from Sanju Samson, who scored 56. Chopra highlighted Samson’s attacking approach and his familiarity with the Hyderabad ground, where Samson had previously hit five sixes in an over against Rishad Hossain and scored a century.
“If nearly 250 are scored, they aren’t chased easily, although the West Indies did that job in Ranchi, but there was a lot of dew there. Sanju started destroying at the start here. Sanju likes this ground a lot. He had once hit five sixes in a Rishad Hossain over. He had scored a hundred then,” Chopra said.
Keemo Paul’s decisive five-wicket haul
Despite Samson’s strong start, India’s middle order could not sustain the momentum after his dismissal. Abhishek Sharma was batting at the other end during Samson’s aggressive phase, and the lower-middle order batsmen including Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy could not build on the platform created.
“Here also, when he scored a fifty, he was hitting so much that Abhishek Sharma was standing at the other end and asking Sanju to let him bat. Sanju batted incredibly well. He got out, and Ishan Kishan got out soon after that. Even after that, whether it was Tilak Varma or Nitish Kumar Reddy, or Abhishek Sharma’s short knock, it seemed like we might come back into the game, but Keemo Paul’s five wickets changed the game,” Chopra said.
West Indies bowler Keemo Paul took 5 for 41, becoming the first West Indies bowler to claim multiple five-wicket hauls in T20I cricket. His performance proved decisive in restricting India’s chase and securing the victory for West Indies.
