Bengaluru: Rain had the final say in the T20I series decider as the fifth match between India and West Indies was abandoned at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday night, leaving the five-match series drawn 2-2.
The toss itself was delayed for hours by persistent drizzle and was eventually held close to 9pm, with West Indies winning it and choosing to bowl. The match was reduced to nine overs a side and finally got underway at 9:15pm, with India racing to 118 for 5 in 7.4 overs — Ishan Kishan smashing 30 off 10 balls, Naman Dhir 24 not out off 6, and Shreyas Iyer 22 — before the rain returned and never relented. Play was called off at 10:16pm, with the 10:21pm cut-off for a five-over chase of 84 proving unreachable.
The evening had promised a fitting finale. Bhuvneshwar Kumar played his first T20I in nearly four years — his last was in Napier in November 2022 — running out at his RCB home ground a day after being officially added to the squad as cover for the injured Arshdeep Singh. Keemo Paul (2 for 34) and Shamar Springer (2 for 17) were the pick of the West Indies bowlers in the brief action possible.
The washout denied India a 12th straight bilateral T20I series win at home, while West Indies were left waiting for a first series triumph on Indian soil since 2002. With the series shared, both sides now turn their attention to the ODI leg of the tour.
