India vs West Indies 4th T20I: Run Fest Expected in Hyderabad

India and West Indies meet in the fourth T20 International at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, October 14. The match starts at 7pm Indian time, which is 6:30pm in Pakistan. India lead the five-match series 2-1, so a win tonight would seal the series with one game to spare. West Indies must win to keep the contest alive until the last match in Bengaluru.

The bigger worry is for the bowlers on both sides. Hyderabad is one of the best places in India to bat, and the batters on this tour have already shown that they can chase almost any target.

A tour full of big chases

West Indies arrived in India in late September for three ODIs and five T20Is. Runs have flowed from the first day. In the ODIs, India chased 406 in Guwahati, their highest successful chase in ODI history. Shubman Gill finished as the top scorer of that series with 334 runs, including a double century from only 117 balls, the fastest in ODIs. West Indies then chased 352 in New Chandigarh, with captain Shai Hope making 162 not out, but India still won the ODI series 2-1.

The T20Is have followed the same pattern. In Lucknow, West Indies made 171 and India chased it in only 14.4 overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 102 not out off 43 balls, his first T20I hundred. In Ranchi, India made 249 for 5, with Sanju Samson hitting 82. Then Hope scored 102 not out from 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford added 84, and West Indies reached 252 for 4 with nine balls left.

That was the highest successful chase ever against India in T20Is. It was also the second-highest successful chase in men's T20I history, behind only South Africa's 259 against West Indies in Centurion in 2023. For India, it was the biggest total they have ever failed to defend in the format.

India hit back in Indore on Sunday. Abhishek Sharma smashed 69 off 30 balls as India were bowled out for 223, even after a late collapse from 115 for 1. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh then took 3 for 44, and West Indies finished on 209 for 7, losing by 14 runs. That was the only match out of six on this tour won by the team batting first.

Why Hyderabad worries the bowlers

India have played well here in T20Is. In 2019, they chased 208 against West Indies, with Virat Kohli making 94 not out. In 2022, they chased 187 against Australia. In October 2024, Samson hit a century as India made 297 for 6 against Bangladesh, just three short of 300. It is the second-highest T20I score in a match between two ICC Full Member teams.

The ground is also home to Sunrisers Hyderabad, the most attacking side in the IPL. Their batters Abhishek, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen helped them make 277 for 3 here against Mumbai Indians in 2024, which was then the highest total in IPL history. In 2025, they went one better with 286 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals at the same venue. In a domestic T20 match in November 2025, Punjab scored 310 for 5 against Bengal at the Gymkhana Ground in the same city.

The main pitch has been relaid recently, so nobody can be fully sure how it will behave. Still, more big scores are expected. Dew in the evening could make the ball wet and hard to grip, which makes defending a total even harder. Weather reports show no rain, so a full match is expected.

Both teams will think carefully about the toss. West Indies will be happy on a flat pitch, because their batters struggled on the Indore surface where some balls stayed low. India remain slight favourites, but they will want a little help for their bowlers if they have to bat first.

The key battle: Abhishek against Chase

Off-spinner Roston Chase has troubled India on this tour. In Ranchi, he took 3 for 24 in his four overs, removing three left-handed batters, including Abhishek and Ishan Kishan. He bowls from over the wicket, mostly hard lengths or yorkers, and his height makes him hard to hit.

Abhishek found a way in Indore. He played the first over from Chase carefully, then made room and hit him for two sixes and a four. Against Chase, Abhishek now has 25 runs from 13 balls but has been dismissed twice. With Hyderabad being his IPL home ground, this contest could decide the match.

Team news

India left out wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in Indore and played an extra fast bowler instead. The plan worked, so they may keep the same side. Their likely team is Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh.

West Indies are waiting on Romario Shepherd. He was hurt while bowling in Ranchi, though he still batted and made an unbeaten 34. He then missed the Indore game, and Quentin Sampson took his place. Their likely team is Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd or Quentin Sampson, Roston Chase, Shamar Springer, Keemo Paul, Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie.

India's last five completed T20Is read win, loss, win, win, win, with the most recent first. West Indies read loss, win, loss, win, loss.

Why Pakistan fans should watch

Pakistan have a strong T20I record against this West Indies side. In August 2025, Pakistan beat them 2-1 in Florida. It was Pakistan's seventh bilateral T20I series win in a row against West Indies, a run that started in 2013. Hope was the captain in that series too, and players like Rutherford and Shamar Joseph also played.

But this tour shows a different West Indies. A team that can chase 250 against India at home is a serious threat in any T20 match. Pakistan also played a two-Test series in the Caribbean in July and August this year, which ended 1-1. Whatever happens in Hyderabad tonight, it will give a clear picture of how strong both teams are in T20 cricket right now.