Shai Hope becomes the first West Indian with three T20I centuries

Shai Hope scored 102 not out off 50 balls at Hyderabad on 14 October 2026, becoming the first West Indian with three T20I centuries. West Indies posted 247 for 3—among the highest T20I totals ever—and bowled India out for 223 to win by 24 runs. The five-match series is now level at 2–2, with the decider on Saturday in Bengaluru.

Two of Hope’s three T20I centuries have come in this series alone. He made 102 not out in the second match at Ranchi, powering the second-highest chase in T20I history. Five days later, in the fourth match at Hyderabad, he made 102 not out again—same score, different method. At Ranchi he chased; at Hyderabad he set the target. The result was the same: West Indies won, India could not stop him, and the record books updated themselves accordingly.

The match

West Indies	247 for 3 (20 overs)
India	223 all out (19.3 overs)
Result	West Indies won by 24 runs
Venue	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Date	14 October 2026

The venue has a reputation for high-scoring matches, and this one delivered. West Indies’ 247 for 3 is among the ten highest totals in T20I history, and India’s 223 in reply would have been enough to win most T20Is. It was not enough here. The pitch was flat, the boundaries were reachable, and Hope made the most of both.

Hope’s innings

	Figure
Runs	102 not out
Balls	50
Fours	4
Sixes	9
Strike rate	204.00

The nine sixes tell the story. Hope’s innings was built on boundaries over the rope, not along the ground. He hit four fours but nine sixes—an unusual ratio that reflects how aggressively he targeted the short boundaries at Hyderabad. The strike rate of 204 is lower than his 226 at Ranchi, but the context is different: batting first requires building rather than chasing, and Hope paced his innings to ensure West Indies had wickets in hand for the final acceleration.

Sherfane Rutherford contributed 49 not out off 26 balls, the same supporting role he played at Ranchi. Together, they added 112 for the third wicket, steering West Indies from 96 for 2 in the 11th over to 247 for 3 at the close. The partnership was clinical: Hope anchored, Rutherford attacked, and India’s bowlers had no answer.

The first West Indian with three

T20I centuries are rare. They require a batter to face enough balls, score quickly enough, and avoid getting out—a combination that eludes most players in a format designed to produce wickets.

Batter	Team	T20I 100s
Rohit Sharma	India	5
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	4
Suryakumar Yadav	India	4
Colin Munro	New Zealand	3
Hazratullah Zazai	Afghanistan	3
Shai Hope	West Indies	3

Colin Munro was the first player ever to reach three T20I centuries, doing so in January 2018 against West Indies in Mount Maunganui. Hope joins a small group, and he is the first from a country that invented modern power-hitting. Chris Gayle, the most prolific six-hitter in T20 history, retired with two T20I hundreds. Johnson Charles has two. Evin Lewis has two. Hope is the first West Indian past that mark.

What makes Hope’s achievement striking is its recency. His first T20I century came in 2024. His second and third came in the same series, five days apart, in India. The transformation from ODI accumulator to T20I match-winner happened quickly, and it happened at exactly the moment West Indies needed it.

Keemo Paul’s five-for

The other story of the match was Keemo Paul. The right-arm medium-pacer took 5 for 41 off four overs, his best T20I figures, and ensured India’s strong batting effort fell short.

Bowler	Overs	Runs	Wickets	Economy
Keemo Paul	4	41	5	10.25
Gudakesh Motie	4	34	2	8.50
Romario Shepherd	4	38	1	9.50
Others	7.3	106	2	14.13

Paul bowled the crucial overs. He dismissed Sanju Samson (56 off 23), who was threatening to turn the chase into a rout, and then worked through India’s middle order. Five wickets in a T20I while conceding more than 10 an over sounds contradictory, but it reflects the nature of the match: runs were everywhere, and wickets were worth more than economy.

Samson’s 56 was India’s top score, and Tilak Varma added 43, but no one else passed 30. The chase needed a sustained effort from multiple batters; it got two good innings and a collapse.

The series

Match	Venue	Result
1st T20I	Lucknow	India won by 8 wickets
2nd T20I	Ranchi	West Indies won by 6 wickets
3rd T20I	Indore	India won by 14 runs
4th T20I	Hyderabad	West Indies won by 24 runs
5th T20I	Bengaluru	Saturday, 17 October

The pattern is striking: West Indies have won both matches where Hope has scored centuries, and India have won both matches where he has not. Hope’s form is the series. If he scores in Bengaluru, West Indies will be favourites; if he falls cheaply, India’s home advantage should tell.

What the record does not prove

It does not prove Hope is now the best T20I batter in the world. Three centuries is a milestone, but batting averages and consistency across conditions matter more than peak performances. Rohit Sharma has five T20I centuries and remains the benchmark; Hope is joining his company, not surpassing him.

It does not prove West Indies are favourites for the decider. India have won ten T20Is in a row before this series and have lost only two matches at home in two years. A level series at 2–2 is an achievement for West Indies; winning it would be a shock.

And it does not prove India’s bowling is broken. The same attack won the T20 World Cup in February. Conceding 247 on a flat Hyderabad pitch, against a batter in the form of his life, is not evidence of structural failure. It is evidence that T20 cricket punishes good attacks on bad days.

What it does prove

It proves Hope has evolved. He was an ODI specialist for a decade—an accumulator who anchored chases while others struck. His T20I strike rate before 2024 was 118. In 2026, it is above 145. The reinvention is complete, and the results are visible in the record books.

It proves West Indies can compete at the highest level when their top order fires. They have not won an ICC trophy since 2016, but they have match-winners capable of beating any side on any day. Hope and Rutherford, when they partner as they did in Ranchi and Hyderabad, are among the most dangerous combinations in the format.

And it proves the decider on Saturday will be worth watching. India have home advantage, but West Indies have momentum. Hope has two centuries in three matches at Indian venues this month. The series will be decided by whether he gets a third.