New Chandigarh: West Indies captain Shai Hope produced a record-breaking unbeaten 162 to guide his team to a historic five-wicket victory over India in the third and final ODI on Saturday, October 3.
Chasing 352 at the New PCA Stadium, West Indies reached 352/5 in 48.2 overs to complete their highest successful run chase in ODI cricket. The victory also ended India’s clean-sweep hopes, although the hosts had already secured the three-match series after winning the first two ODIs.
Hope anchored the chase from start to finish, scoring 162 off 143 balls with 17 fours and three sixes. His innings was not only the foundation of West Indies’ successful chase but also rewrote several individual ODI records.
The 31-year-old’s unbeaten 162 became the highest individual score by a West Indies batter in a successful ODI run chase, surpassing Brian Lara’s 153 against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1993. It was also the highest individual score by any batter in a successful ODI chase against India, moving past Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 160 in Rajkot in 2009.
Hope breaks long-standing chase records
Hope’s performance added several milestones to an already remarkable ODI career.
His 162 is now the highest score by a West Indies men’s batter in a successful ODI run chase. The previous national record belonged to Lara, who scored 153 against Pakistan in 1993.
Hope also broke the record for the highest individual score in an ODI run chase against India. Dilshan’s unbeaten 160 had stood at the top since 2009, while Andrew Strauss’ 158 in Bengaluru in 2011 and Sanath Jayasuriya’s unbeaten 151 in Mumbai in 1997 were among the other leading scores.
Hope’s innings therefore became the latest in a long line of landmark performances by overseas batters chasing against India.
The innings also made Hope the first West Indies batter to score at least 150 in a successful ODI chase against India.
More importantly for West Indies, his effort helped the team surpass its previous highest successful ODI chase of 331/5 against Ireland in Malahide in 2019. The 352-run chase in New Chandigarh is now the biggest target successfully overhauled by the Caribbean side in the format.
Eight centuries as wicketkeeper-captain
Hope’s latest century also strengthened his remarkable record as a wicketkeeper-captain in ODI cricket.
The 162 took his tally to eight ODI centuries as a wicketkeeper-captain, the most by any player in the format. India’s MS Dhoni follows with six, while South Africa’s AB de Villiers has four.
Hope has increasingly established himself as one of West Indies’ most dependable ODI batters, particularly in high-pressure run chases. His latest performance combined patience during the early stages with an aggressive finish when the asking rate became more demanding.
The innings was particularly impressive considering the physical workload involved. Hope had kept wickets for the entire Indian innings before opening the West Indies chase. He also battled discomfort during the latter stages of his innings but remained at the crease until the target was reached.
Hope reaches 21st ODI century
The West Indies captain’s 162 was his 21st ODI hundred, which he reached in his 152nd innings.
That puts Hope alongside Quinton de Kock and David Warner among the joint-third fastest players to reach 21 ODI centuries by innings. Hashim Amla remains the fastest, reaching the mark in 116 innings, followed by Virat Kohli in 138 innings.
Hope’s ability to pace his innings was central to the successful chase. He reached his half-century from 46 balls and brought up his hundred from 104 deliveries before accelerating dramatically during the final phase.
He scored 62 runs from his last 39 balls, turning a demanding chase into a comfortable victory for West Indies.
Jangoo provides crucial support
Hope did not have to carry the chase alone.
After John Campbell was dismissed early, Amir Jangoo joined Hope at the crease and played an important supporting role. Jangoo scored 67 off 56 balls and helped West Indies establish a strong platform during the middle overs.
The pair put together a century partnership, keeping the required run rate under control and preventing India from building sustained pressure.
Jangoo’s dismissal brought Sherfane Rutherford to the crease. Rutherford contributed 24 off 25 balls before Keemo Paul took over the attacking role.
Paul scored 44 off 35 deliveries and helped ensure that West Indies remained ahead of the required rate.
India briefly threatened to regain control after Paul and Matthew Forde were dismissed, but Hope’s presence meant the visitors always remained within reach of the target.
Gudakesh Motie finishes the chase
Gudakesh Motie joined Hope for the decisive phase of the innings.
The pair added 62 runs from only 29 balls, turning what could have been a tense finish into a convincing victory.
Motie attacked the Indian bowlers during the closing overs, while Hope continued to find boundaries with remarkable consistency.
India’s slow over rate also became a factor during the final stages, with an additional fielder required inside the 30-yard circle. Hope took advantage of the field restrictions and accelerated towards his landmark score.
The West Indies captain eventually remained unbeaten on 162 as his team completed the chase with 10 balls remaining.
The victory gave West Indies their first ODI win over India since 2023 and provided a memorable conclusion to the series.
KL Rahul’s 129 keeps India in the contest
Earlier, India recovered from a disastrous start to post 351/7.
The hosts lost Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli cheaply, leaving India in serious trouble early in the innings. Rohit Sharma then combined with Ruturaj Gaikwad to rebuild the innings.
Rohit scored 92 off 85 balls, while Ruturaj contributed 57 from 69 deliveries. The pair added 137 runs for the third wicket to stabilise India’s innings.
Rohit eventually fell nine runs short of his century after scoring 10 fours and three sixes.
KL Rahul then took control of the final stages of the innings. Coming in after India’s early setbacks, Rahul initially played the anchor’s role before accelerating spectacularly towards the end.
He reached his ninth ODI century from 80 balls and finished unbeaten on 129 off 87 balls. His innings included 10 fours and two sixes, and he was instrumental in helping India add 105 runs during the final 10 overs.
Rahul’s century was his fastest among his nine ODI hundreds and his highest ODI score. He also became the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at No. 5 against West Indies since the format’s modern statistical records began to be widely tracked.
India eventually finished on 351/7, setting what appeared to be a formidable target.
Seales leads West Indies bowling attack
Jayden Seales was West Indies’ most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 3/62.
He made an immediate impact by removing India’s captain Shubman Gill and later dismissing Virat Kohli for a golden duck. His early spell left India at 4/2 before Rohit and Ruturaj began the recovery.
Keemo Paul also contributed with two wickets, while Gudakesh Motie took one.
Despite India’s strong total, the West Indies batting unit maintained control for much of the chase and ensured the bowlers’ efforts were ultimately backed up by a record run chase.
India win series despite West Indies’ historic victory
West Indies’ five-wicket victory prevented India from completing a 3-0 sweep, but India still won the three-match ODI series 2-1 after victories in the first two matches.
The third ODI, however, belonged to Hope.
His unbeaten 162 combined individual brilliance with disciplined chase management and helped West Indies achieve the biggest successful ODI chase in their history.
For India, Rahul’s unbeaten 129 and Rohit’s 92 provided plenty of positives with the bat, but the 351-run total was ultimately not enough.
Hope’s innings will stand out as one of the defining ODI performances of the series. From breaking Lara’s national record for a successful chase to overtaking Dilshan’s mark against India and reaching his 21st ODI century, the West Indies captain transformed a difficult chase into a record-setting victory.
The result also demonstrated the value of a long innings in a high-pressure chase. Hope stayed at the crease through the entire second innings, absorbed the pressure during the middle overs and accelerated when the finish came into sight.
For West Indies, the 352/5 score now represents a new benchmark in their ODI history. For Hope, the unbeaten 162 has added another major chapter to an increasingly distinguished international career.