India began the West Indies tour with two emphatic ODI victories and finished it with a T20I series that neither side could claim. Across eight scheduled matches, the story shifted from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s return to record-breaking batting, West Indies’ fightback, and a final encounter that rain refused to let finish. India won the ODI series 2-1, while the T20I contest ended 2-2 after the fifth match was abandoned.
Rohit and Kohli Set the Tone
The ODI series opened with India chasing 296 in Thiruvananthapuram. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 139, Shubman Gill added 110, and India reached the target with eight wickets to spare. Kuldeep Yadav’s 4/40 had earlier helped restrict West Indies to 295/7.
Guwahati produced an even bigger spectacle. West Indies piled up 405/7, with centuries from John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo. India responded with 406/2, led by Gill’s unbeaten 223 and Rohit’s 101. It was a remarkable chase that underlined India’s batting depth and Gill’s growing importance as captain.
West Indies Strike Back
The third ODI in New Chandigarh changed the outcome of the series. India posted 351/7, with KL Rahul scoring an unbeaten 129 and Rohit contributing 92. Yet West Indies chased down the target, finishing at 352/5 in 48.2 overs to win by five wickets.
Shai Hope led the response with a commanding innings, ensuring that India’s first two victories did not become a clean sweep. India still claimed the ODI series 2-1, with Gill finishing as the leading run-scorer for India across the three matches.
T20Is Bring a Different Contest
The five-match T20I series was far more evenly balanced. India won the opener in Lucknow by eight wickets, but West Indies responded in Ranchi by chasing 250 to win by six wickets. The visitors showed they could match India’s aggressive batting rather than simply react to it.
India regained the lead in Indore, winning the third T20I by 14 runs after Abhishek Sharma smashed 69 off 30 balls and Arshdeep Singh took 3/44. But West Indies leveled the series again in Hyderabad. Hope scored an unbeaten 102 as the visitors posted 247/3, before Keemo Paul’s five-wicket haul helped dismiss India for 223.
Shai Hope Leaves His Mark
Hope became the defining figure of West Indies’ T20I campaign. His 261 runs across four innings included two centuries, and he was named Player of the Series. Keemo Paul’s eight wickets also proved crucial, particularly when India’s batting threatened to take control.
The final T20I in Bengaluru offered India a chance to win the series, but persistent rain intervened. The match was reduced to nine overs per side before being abandoned with India at 118/5 after 7.4 overs. The series ended 2-2, keeping West Indies’ wait for their first bilateral T20I series win in India since 2002 alive.
A Tour That Revealed Both Sides
India leaves the series with an ODI trophy and an unbeaten home T20I series record intact. Gill’s consistency, Kohli’s century, Rohit’s attacking returns, and Rahul’s late contribution gave the ODI campaign several defining moments.
But the T20Is exposed areas for improvement, especially India’s bowling execution in high-scoring matches. West Indies, meanwhile, demonstrated the firepower to challenge the world champions, with Hope leading from the front.
The final scoreline tells two stories: India won the ODI battle, but West Indies made sure the T20I contest ended level. Across the tour, neither side had a monopoly on momentum, and that made for a far more compelling series than the opening results suggested.
