Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten 162 as West Indies chased down 352 to beat India by five wickets in the third one-day international, the highest successful run chase in the Caribbean side’s ODI history.
Main image: DGBN graphic. Photo: CRICKETNEXT / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The win in New Chandigarh on Saturday came with 10 balls to spare. India, who had already sealed the three-match series by winning the first two games, take it 2-1, but the Windies leave with a result that will lift spirits across the region.
Rahul and Rohit power India to 351
India were rocked early when fast bowler Jayden Seales removed Shubman Gill for one and Virat Kohli for a duck. Rohit Sharma steadied the innings with 92 off 85 balls, and in doing so became only the fourth opener to pass 10,000 ODI runs at the top of the order.
KL Rahul then took charge, racing to an unbeaten 129 from 80 deliveries, while Ruturaj Gaikwad added 57. India finished on 351 for seven. Seales was the pick of the West Indies attack with three for 62.
Hope leads from the front
West Indies were short-handed after wicketkeeper-batter Jewel Andrew hurt a finger in the field, and captain Hope stepped up to open the batting. He batted through the innings, facing 143 balls and hitting 17 fours and three sixes.
Amir Jangoo shared a 109-run stand with Hope and made 67, his third straight score of fifty or more. Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford chipped in, before Gudakesh Motie’s late hitting helped Hope finish the job. The captain scored 40 of his runs from his final 16 deliveries.
“We wanted to finish the series on a strong note and I’m glad we got over the line,” Hope said after the match, according to AFP.
Records tumble
The chase beat West Indies’ previous best of 331 for five, made against Ireland in May 2019. They also became only the third team to successfully chase a target of more than 350 against India in ODIs.
For Hope, it was his 21st ODI century, taking him past 6,500 runs in the format. It is also the highest individual score by any batter in an ODI run chase against India.
Why it matters
West Indies cricket has spent years rebuilding its place in the white-ball game, and beating India at home is one of the hardest tasks in the sport. A record chase led by a Barbadian captain gives fans from Kingston to London something to celebrate, and fresh belief as the side looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup cycle.