It was raining runs and drops of joy for the West Indies as the Calypso Kings beat India for the first time in a five-match T20I series.

The Windies, led by Brandon King (85*) and Nicholas Pooran (47), bossed the 166-run chase in 18 overs and eight wickets in hand. This victory also meant that the hosts have beaten the Men in Blue in a bilateral series for the first time since 2017. Conversely, India relied on Suryakumar Yadav’s 61 to post 165 in the first innings. The bowlers showed the stomach to fight, but they fell short by some distance.

Here is a summary of the series decider.

Tilak gets India back up after early stumble

After Akeal Hosein dismissed yesterday’s free-scoring duo - Yashasvi Jaiswal (5) and Shubman Gill (9) - within the first three overs, Tilak Varma stepped out and got the team running again. The southpaw smacked 20 runs off his first ten balls, including a juggernaut sixth over against Alzarri Joseph that read 0-4-6-4-4-1. Aapla Dada Surya also got off the mark with 15 runs in 13 deliveries.

SKY brings in the sunshine on rainy day

Tilak’s departure for 27, followed by a short cameo from Sanju Samson (13), somehow switched a gear in Surya’s mind. Confidently fending off the pressure applied by the Windies spinners, SKY stitched his way to a half-century in 38 balls. Along the way, he survived a Romario Shepherd delivery on the umpire’s call. But his innings would be cut short at 61 by Jason Holder.

Windies handed 166-run target

Five wickets fell in the death overs and India lost their way a bit, with Shepherd at the helm and finishing with a career-best 4/31. Now was the time to DEFEND.

King-Pooran keep the tempo up

West Indies’ run chase started with the early dismissal of Kyle Mayers (10) in the second over, but the pairing of Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran got the momentum back in the hosts’ favour. The 95-run partnership between the pair - infused with boundary fours and sixes in almost every over - ensured the Windies were way ahead of the DLS par score (78) when it began raining as they finished 11 overs at 107/1.

Tilak can bowl, too!

Wait! Who is this new bowler? It’s our very own Tilak. And just two balls into his maiden over in international cricket, the youngster dismissed Nicholas Pooran. The WI star mistimed a reverse sweep that lobbed into the air and safely landed in skipper Hardik Pandya’s hands. Only the TV umpire could confirm it was a wicket, as neither the batter nor the on-field umpire seemed sure of what had hit them.

Hope wins it with a SIX

Alas, TV's late heroics were a little too late. With the chase all but done, Shai Hope hit the home run off Yashasvi Jaiswal. A tossed-up delivery and the Windies' batter smacked it downtown to complete a comprehensive team win and a morale-boosting series win. Remember, it's the first time the Windies have beaten India in a multi-match T20I series. It is also set to mean a lot for them given their recent exits from both the T20 World Cup qualifiers and the 50-over World Cup qualifiers. The Caribbean can afford a smile tonight!

Brief scores: West Indies 171/2 (Brandon King 85*, Nicholas Pooran 47; Tilak Varma 1/17, Arshdeep Singh 1/20) beat India 165/9 (Suryakumar Yadav 61, Tilak Varma 27; Romario Shepherd 4/31, Akeal Hosein 2/24) by eight wickets.