An evening of mystery, anticipation and hope ended in misery as the fifth and final T20I between India and the West Indies was abandoned after just 7.4 overs of play and 48 minutes of action because of incessant, but not so heavy, rain.
When the match was called off at 10.03 p.m. at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday, India, after being put into bat, had reached 118 for five.
The contest started two hours and fifteen minutes late and was reduced to nine overs a side. Even that was largely possible because of the state-of-the-art SubAir drainage system which helped get the ground ready in no time.
Once the pitter-patter stopped and players trudged on to the glazed green turf, the crowd roared in approval. The fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an RCB fan favourite, found a place in the Indian XI, made them rejoice.
The 56 runs India scored in the first three overs gladdened their hearts further. After starting at a washout for long, it felt like they had hit a jackpot.
Ishan Kishan was the stand-out batter (30, 10b, 3×4, 2×6), clubbing Romario Shepherd for two massive sixes in the second over, one of which went out of the ground.
Sanju Samson impressed for a short burst of time (16, 7b, 2×4, 1×6), with the wristy maximum over backward-point off Shamar Joseph his best hit.
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But the entry of Shamar Springer in the fifth over put the brakes on. He sent Samson’s stump cartwheeling first ball and conceded just seven runs. Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma couldn’t really get going, collectively scoring just 29 runs from 20 balls.
However, Naman Dhir turned the tables on the West Indies, smashing three sixes in his first five balls, two straight down the ground and one square on the leg-side.
Just as he was promising more (25 n.o., 6b, 1×4, 3×6), the heavens opened up again, sending players scurrying back to the pavilion, only for them to never return.
The result ensured that India kept its record of not losing a bilateral T20I series at home since February 2019. It also meant the West Indies has now gone two consecutive T20I series against India without losing. Both sides would have liked to get that record after a full match, but it was not to be.
The 2-2 result, though, can be termed a fair reflection of the sides’ excellence over the last few days. There was little to separate the two, something even the rain gods agreed with.
Published on Oct 17, 2026
