International cricket returned to Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time in two years, only to end in disappointment when heavy rain forced the fifth and final T20 international between India and the West Indies to be called off on Saturday. The result left the five-match series drawn at 2-2, denying the West Indies their first series victory on Indian soil since 2002 despite a competitive tour across both ODIs and T20Is. The washout denied the West Indies a chance to get their first series win in India since 2002.
Weather forecasts had signaled a high risk of rain, though morning conditions raised hopes as precipitation odds fell from 70 percent down to 30 percent. Though there was some hope in the morning when the probability of rain fell from 70 to 30 per cent, it was always going to be a close call for a full game to happen given the forecast.
An evening drizzle ultimately stalled preparations, delaying the original 6:30 pm toss. The weather briefly cleared around 8:30 pm, allowing a curtailed nine-overs-a-side contest to begin at 9:15 pm. However, another downpour arrived during the eighth over, prompting officials to call for the covers and eventually abandon the fixture at 10:16 pm, with India stranded on 118 for 5 after 7.4 overs. A revised five-over target of 84 for the West Indies was ruled impossible before the 10:21 pm cut-off time. The players soon exchanged hugs and handshakes in the dressing rooms, but with no possibility of a five-over chase of 84 for the West Indies before the 10:21 pm cut-off. However, kept the ground staff away from getting the venue ready, leading to a delay in the scheduled toss at 6:30 pm, but persistent drizzle through the evening.
Before the stoppage, fans were treated to an explosive start from top-ranked T20I batter Ishan Kishan, who powered India’s charge by taking 24 runs off Romario Shepherd’s opening over. Kishan hammered three boundaries and two sixes in a 10-ball 30 before Shamar Joseph removed him with a clever slower delivery, caught at mid-on. Sanju Samson kept the aggressive pace going, hitting a boundary to seal India’s fastest T20I team fifty in just 2.5 overs. Samson subsequently hit a six before Shamar Springer uprooted his off-stump for 16 with his very first ball. The visitors, however, could take heart from how they fiercely competed over the last three weeks, first in the ODIs and then in the shortest format. The crowd, which waited patiently for hours, was treated to only a brief burst of action, led by Ishan Kishan’s blistering 30 off 10 balls, laced with three fours and two sixes, and some late hitting from Naman Dhir, who.
India made several roster changes for the series finale, recalling Bhuvneshwar Kumar after 1437 days and bringing in Shivam Dube for Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy, the latter missing out through illness. Sent in to bat, the hosts faced initial trouble from Keemo Paul, who found early swing despite overstepping and conceding five wides. Abhishek Sharma failed to connect on the free hit, cleared deep mid-wicket for six on the next ball, and then flicked the following delivery straight to Joseph to depart for six.
Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer scraped together 22 from 14 balls, benefiting from a missed run-out opportunity and a dropped catch by Sherfane Rutherford before miscuing Paul to deep mid-wicket. Springer later bowled Tilak Varma just as the rain intensified. Naman Dhir provided late momentum, remaining unbeaten on 24 off just six deliveries after collecting 16 runs off his first three balls with consecutive sixes and a boundary against Paul. Paul finished with figures of 2-34, while Springer claimed 2-17 before the weather definitively halted play.
