Photo by iMahesh (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

India and West Indies Prepare for 4th T20I in Hyderabad with Series on the Line

The fourth T20I between India and West Indies will begin at 7:00 PM IST on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, with India holding a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. In all-time head-to-head meetings, the two sides have faced each other 34 times in T20Is, with India winning 22 matches, West Indies winning 11, and one ending in a no-result.

Series State and Recent Form

India opened the series with an eight-wicket win in Lucknow before West Indies leveled the score in Ranchi with a six-wicket victory, chasing down India's 249/5 by posting 252/4 in 18.3 overs. In the third match on 11 October 2026 at Holkar Stadium in Indore, India regained the lead by 14 runs.

India posted 223 all out in 20.0 overs behind Abhishek Sharma's 69 off 30 balls, a knock featuring six fours and five sixes that took him to 2,000 career T20I runs in 1,024 balls faced. West Indies replied with 209/7 in their 20.0 overs, despite Nicholas Pooran's 42, Shimron Hetmyer's 43, and an unbeaten 35 off 11 balls from Shamar Springer.

Naman Dhir dismissed both Pooran and Hetmyer, while Arshdeep Singh earned Player of the Match honors with figures of 3 for 44 across four overs.

Team News and Conditions

According to CricTracker, India's predicted lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, captain Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Mayank Yadav. Press Trust of India reported that India's management is likely to retain the same combination, though Sanju Samson's inconsistent form could tempt them to play 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Meanwhile, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar stated that Sooryavanshi should play in the fifth T20I.

Earlier in the series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir called for better pitches that offer a fairer contest between bat and ball. For this fixture, Amar Sunil Panicker of India Today reported that the Hyderabad venue features a recently relaid surface.

Pitch analysis from CREX describes a hard, batting-friendly track where competitive first-innings totals range from 180 to 200 or more, while dew is expected to become a significant factor as the evening advances, potentially making the ball harder to grip.

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