West Indies pulled off a historic achievement in New Chandigarh, recording their highest-ever ODI run chase to defeat India by five wickets. Despite KL Rahul powering the hosts to a massive 351/7 with his career-best 129 not out, captain Shai Hope anchored the pursuit. Hope, who kept wickets for the entire first innings, opened the batting and remained unbeaten on 162, guiding his team to victory with 10 balls to spare in the series-concluding match. Rahul smashed his highest ODI score to power India to 351/7 but Hope opened the innings despite keeping wickets for 50 overs and still managed to stay right until the end to finish unbeaten on 162 to guide his side to a consolation win with 10 balls to spare.
India’s innings got off to a disastrous start after they opted to bat first. Jayden Seales dismissed Shubman Gill for just one run and sent Virat Kohli back for a golden duck in the same third over. Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad staged a recovery, navigating the early pressure to reach 28/2 after 11 overs. Rohit played a captain’s knock of 92, missing a century by just eight runs, while Gaikwad also contributed a half-century. Rahul later accelerated the scoring in the final stages, aided by cameos from Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar to push the total past 350. Opting to bat after winning the toss in the dead rubber, India handed Anshul Kamboj a debut. The fact that they breached 350 from here was remarkable with Rohit kickstarting the recovery. Clubbing a six over deep midwicket to move into the nineties, Rahul went berserk in the final two overs of the innings hammering four sixes and a four to help India finish with another 350 plus total in ODI cricket.
The West Indies chase began aggressively. John Campbell struck early boundaries before falling to Mohammed Siraj, but Amir Jangoo kept the momentum going, scoring a vital 67 in a century partnership with Hope. Even after Jangoo’s dismissal, Hope remained composed. He reached his 21st ODI century and continued to shepherd the innings as teammates came and went. The visitors maintained a high tempo, keeping the required run rate manageable even as they faced pressure in the final 10 overs. Rohit looked well on course to bringing up another ODI century but he mistimed a pull to fall 8 short of three figures.
The contest intensified when Keemo Paul and Matthew Forde fell, leaving the West Indies with the task of managing the lower order. However, Hope took charge, striking Kuldeep Yadav for a six and a four in the spinner’s final over. A penalty for India’s slow over rate, which forced an extra fielder inside the circle, further assisted the captain’s cause. Hope sealed the result with a calculated assault, including successive boundaries against Gurnoor Brar and a dominant 22-run over against debutant Kamboj. Rohit switched gears with a six whereas Gaikwad was living a charmed life with the West Indies fielders repeatedly putting him down.
The final scorecard reflected a classic encounter, with India finishing on 351/7, anchored by Rahul and Rohit. West Indies responded with 352/5, fueled by Hope’s masterful 162 and Jangoo’s 67. Jayden Seales was the standout performer for the visitors with 3-62, while Naman Dhir claimed 1-33 for India. With the absence of the injured Jewel Andrew, the West Indies middle and lower order had to step up significantly to support Hope, successfully navigating the pressure to ensure a consolation win. The Indian wicketkeeper had Naman Dhir for company and both batters counterattacked to put West Indies on the backfoot but the visitors sensed an opportunity when Dhir and Nitish Reddy failed to make a substantial impact.
