Shreyas Iyer won the toss and backed India's chasers in the 4th T20I in Hyderabad, naming an unchanged XI while West Indies brought in Jewel Andrew and Romario Shepherd. Win and India take the series 3-1; lose and it goes to the final match.
Shreyas Iyer called it right at the toss and did not overthink it. India will bowl first against West Indies in the 4th T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, leading the five-match series 2-1. Win tonight and the series is sealed 3-1 with a game to spare. Lose and West Indies drag it to a decider.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | 4th T20I, West Indies tour of India 2026 |
| Venue | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Date | Wednesday 14 October 2026 |
| Series | India lead the five-match series 2-1 |
| Toss | India won and chose to bowl first |
| India | Unchanged XI from the 3rd T20I |
| West Indies | Two changes: Jewel Andrew and Romario Shepherd in, Kamil Pooran and Quentin Sampson out |
Why Iyer wants to chase
The surface is the story. The square in Hyderabad has been freshly relaid, and Iyer pointed straight at it: "We are going to bowl first. That's one of the major reasons - the relaid surface. We have played on such wickets before. There is going to be bounce as well because the surface is very hard. We know how destructive the West Indies are, so can't get complacent."
Neither captain was certain how the pitch would play, and ESPNcricinfo notes the relaid outfield looks bumpy, which could make the fielding untidy. Shai Hope said West Indies would have bowled first as well, and called this a must-win game.
West Indies shuffle the pack
India stick with the XI that won in Indore. West Indies do not. Jewel Andrew replaces Kamil Pooran, and Romario Shepherd returns for Quentin Sampson after missing the 3rd T20I through injury. Pooran was dropped after scoring 58 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 145. Hope put it simply: "Two changes for us - Pooran and Sampson are out, Romario and Jewel Andrew are in."
What happened in Indore
India defended a total for the first time on this tour in the 3rd T20I. Sportskeeda's report has India posting 223, with Abhishek Sharma top-scoring on 69 off 30 balls, and West Indies finishing on 209-7, Arshdeep Singh taking 3-44. That is a 14-run margin, and India now get to try to chase on a fresh pitch.
The XIs
- India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt.), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
- West Indies: Shai Hope (capt. & wk), Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.
The BuildXI angle
Abhishek Sharma opens for India, and Hyderabad is where he has piled up runs for SRH in the IPL. Drafters know what a chase here looks like with him at the top.
The story comes from ESPNcricinfo's toss report. Read the full piece on ESPNcricinfo. ESPNcricinfo.
IANS also reported the toss quotes, the team changes and the series score. IANS.
BuildXI is a fan game, not affiliated with the IPL or the BCCI, where you run your own draft from IPL history: spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, pick one player from each and play fourteen league matches. The target is 14-0.