Despite Match Cancellation, Indian Team Sets New Record by Achieving Fastest Team Half-Century in T20I

In the fourth T20 match between India and West Indies, held in Hyderabad, Caribbean captain Shai Hope made a splash with his powerful batting. On the last ball before reaching a century, he was aided by a serious error from Indian fielder Tilak Verma, which served as a lifeline and allowed him to complete the hundred.

On the final ball, Shai Hope had scored 96 runs and deflected a strong shot sideways. The ball flew directly towards Tilak Verma, who was positioned at long-on. It could have been an easy catch, but due to the bright stadium lighting, Tilak Verma did not see the ball and could not judge it correctly. The ball went over his hands and crossed the boundary line, becoming a six.

Taking advantage of this reprieve, Shai Hope completed his magnificent century. Immediately after the ball slipped from his hands, Indian vice-captain Tilak Verma gestured that he had not noticed the ball due to the floodlight. Nevertheless, this small blunder proved very costly for the Indian team, as this sixth run helped Hope score his fourth century in the series as captain of the West Indies.

On October 6, 2018, the Indian cricket team achieved a historic victory over the West Indies team in a match in Rajkot, winning by one innings and 272 runs. This match concluded in just three days and was then India's largest victory in Test matches.

The main figure in this historic victory was 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw. Playing in his first Test match, Shaw demonstrated powerful batting, scoring 134 runs in the first innings. Because of this, he became the youngest player in Indian history to score a hundred on debut. His performance provided India with a brilliant start, showing that new talent had emerged in Indian cricket. However, Prithvi's career subsequently declined, and he left the Indian team's squad.

Besides Prithvi Shaw, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli also delivered outstanding performances. Kohli scored 139 runs, while Jadeja registered his first Test century. India declared the first innings at 649/9, after which the West Indies team could not withstand the Indian bowlers.

India won against the West Indies in both innings, and the match finished in just three days. The West Indies managed only 181 runs in the first innings and 196 runs in the second. India secured this victory by an innings and 272 runs, which at the time was the largest victory in Indian Test history. Prithvi Shaw was named 'Player of the Match' for his brilliant debut performance.

This record, set in Rajkot, belonged to India for a long time. Nevertheless, this record was surpassed in 2026 when India achieved a convincing victory over Afghanistan by 300 runs.

An incident that continues to be discussed occurred during the gold medal match of men's cricket at the 2026 Asian Games between India and Pakistan. Pakistani all-rounder Sam Ayub staged a controversial celebration after dismissing young Indian batsman Vaibha Suryawanshi.

Ayub imitated cradling a baby (celebration in cradle), which drew criticism from former Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal. Akmal voiced his opinion on this situation on the show 'Game Plan'. The program host also questioned such behavior in international cricket.

In response, Akmal stated that players should focus on their game rather than actions for social media. He emphasized that such things have been happening for a long time, and despite the team's poor results, players engage in attention-grabbing activities on social media. Akmal urged the management to consider this, noting that it concerns international cricket, and the player's age is irrelevant since he plays internationally. He added that Sam Ayub is not a child and should focus on his performance.

In this match, India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs, defending the championship title. At the beginning of the Indian innings, Vaibha Suryawanshi tried to put pressure on the Pakistani bowlers. He showed his intent by scoring two boundaries in Sad Masood's over. However, he was dismissed while attempting a reverse sweep against Sam Ayub in the third over. Vaibha scored 15 runs off 9 balls.

In the match, India batted first and scored 211/6 in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma played aggressively, scoring 61 runs off 28 balls. Tilak Verma quietly scored 51 runs without getting out, and Shivam Dube contributed 27 runs. After Vaibha Suryawanshi's early dismissal, Sanju Samson came in at number three.

Pakistan's start while chasing was not the most successful, but Hasan Nawaz tried to change the game's momentum, showing explosive play with 96 runs off 51 balls and putting pressure on the Indian bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube performed excellently under pressure, restricting Pakistan to 192/6.