India vs West Indies 5th T20I Abandoned At 118 For 5

The India vs West Indies 5th T20I was abandoned in Bengaluru on Saturday night, and the five-match series finished level at 2-2. India had raced to 118 for 5 from 7.4 overs. The match was already cut to nine overs a side. West Indies never batted.

Rain arrived long before the cricket did. The toss was due at 6.30pm. It happened at about 8.30pm, once the covers came off, and West Indies captain Shai Hope put India in on a damp outfield. Nine overs each was all the umpires could fit into what was left of the night.

India's 118 in 7.4 overs

What followed was closer to a shootout than an innings. Ishan Kishan made 30 from 10 balls. Abhishek Sharma went early for 6, with India 14 for 1 in the first over. Sanju Samson hit 16 from 7. Shreyas Iyer added 22 from 14, and Naman Dhir finished 24 not out from 6 deliveries.

That is 118 runs at better than 15 an over. Keemo Paul conceded 34 in his two overs and took two wickets. Shamar Springer took two for 17. Five wickets fell in 46 balls, which tells you how little either side was holding back.

Bhuvneshwar back after four years

Bhuvneshwar Kumar played. He had been called in as cover for the injured Arshdeep Singh, and this was his first India appearance since 2022. The Statesman put the gap at 1,437 days.

He did not bowl a ball. West Indies never batted, so India never fielded, and a comeback four years in the making amounted to an evening in the dugout. Shivam Dube also returned to the middle order and did not get in.

Puddles, and a target of 84

The rain came back a little after 10pm and left water sitting on the outfield. West Indies had been set a revised target of 84 with a cut-off time just past 10.20pm, according to The Statesman. The ground staff could not clear the surface in time and the umpires called it off without a ball bowled in the chase.

A series that finished level

Four results across five matches, and no winner. The trophy is shared.

• 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: abandoned, no result

West Indies will take the draw. Hope's century in Hyderabad forced the decider, and the weather in Bengaluru made sure nobody settled it. India's next assignment is the tour of New Zealand, for which the squad was named this week with the ODI captaincy split.