India and West Indies finish T20I series level after rain ends Bengaluru decider
Rain halted the fifth and final match before a result was possible, leaving the five-match series tied 2-2 despite India's record-breaking start.
India and West Indies finished their five-match Twenty20 international series level at 2-2 after rain forced the abandonment of Saturday's final match in Bengaluru on 17 October. The washout denied both teams a chance to win the series, even after India made a record-breaking start with the bat.
Play at M Chinnaswamy Stadium began an hour and 45 minutes late, and the match was reduced to nine overs per side, AFP reported. West Indies captain Shai Hope put India in to bat, but rain returned during India's innings and the umpires called off play.
India reach their fastest men's T20I team fifty
India reached 50 in 2.5 overs, their fastest team fifty in men's T20 internationals, according to The Times of India. The previous mark was three overs, also against West Indies, in Hyderabad earlier in 2026. The record gave India's innings a rapid start but could not produce a result once the weather stopped the match.
India made 14 in the opening over despite losing Abhishek Sharma; five wides, a no-ball and a six contributed to the total, The Times of India reported. Ishan Kishan then took 24 runs from Romario Shepherd's second over, moving India to 38-1. Sanju Samson brought up the team fifty with a boundary off Shamar Joseph.
Kishan made 30 and Samson 16 before they were dismissed, while Shreyas Iyer scored 22 from 14 balls and Tilak Varma seven, The Times of India reported. West Indies took wickets despite India's fast scoring, preventing the opening burst from becoming an uninterrupted innings.
Naman Dhir added an unbeaten 24 from six balls after arriving in the seventh over, according to AFP. He hit a six from his first delivery, bowled by Keemo Paul, The Times of India reported. AFP counted eight fours and seven sixes in India's shortened innings, including a Kishan six off Shepherd that cleared the stadium.
Rain leaves the five-match series at 2-2
More than 20,000 spectators attended despite the weather, AFP reported. M Chinnaswamy Stadium was hosting its first international fixture since the India-New Zealand Test in October 2024. The delayed start and another spell of rain ultimately left the crowd without a completed series decider.
West Indies had levelled the series before the final match, as NewsJaws reported in its account of Hope's century and Paul's five-wicket haul. Saturday's abandonment meant neither side added the deciding win: the series finished 2-2.
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Sources and context
- India and West Indies denied a thrilling finale as rain hits final T20AFP, republished by Al Jazeera
- Rain washes out Bengaluru series decider after India script history in fifth T20I against West IndiesThe Times of India
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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