Shai Hope carried his bat for an unbeaten 162 as West Indies hunted down 352 in New Chandigarh, the highest successful chase in their ODI history, to beat India by five wickets and spoil the hosts' 3-0 sweep.
Shai Hope produced one of the great ODI chases in New Chandigarh, carrying his bat for 162 not out as West Indies hunted down 352 to beat India by five wickets with ten balls to spare. It is the highest successful chase in West Indies' ODI history, and it denied India a 3-0 series sweep, though India still took the series 2-1. Remarkably, Hope had kept wicket for India's entire 50 overs before opening the batting and finishing the job himself.
| The decider at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Fixture | India vs West Indies, 3rd ODI (day/night) |
| Venue | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| Date | 3 October 2026 |
| India | 351/7 (50 overs): Rahul 129*, Rohit 92, Gaikwad 57; Seales 3-62 |
| West Indies | 352/5 (48.2 overs): Hope 162*, Jangoo 67; Dhir 1-33 |
| Result | West Indies won by 5 wickets (10 balls remaining) |
| Series | India won the three-match series 2-1 |
| Player of the Match | Shai Hope (162* off 143) |
| Player of the Series | Shubman Gill (334 runs) |
Hope outlasts Rahul's hundred
The night belonged to two unbeaten centuries, and Hope's outlasted Rahul's. India had collapsed to 4 for 2 after Jayden Seales removed Shubman Gill for 1 and Virat Kohli for a golden duck in the same over, but KL Rahul's 129 not out from 87 balls, his ninth ODI hundred and his highest score in the format, dragged them to 351 for 7, with Rohit Sharma making 92 and Ruturaj Gaikwad a fortune-filled 57 after being dropped four times.
Hope answered with his 21st ODI hundred, his second in a row and his fifth against India. Amir Jangoo's 67 and Keemo Paul's brisk 44 kept the chase alive around him, but the fielding told its own story: nine catches went down in the match, six by West Indies and three by India, equalling the ODI record. India were also penalised for a slow over rate, which forced an extra fielder inside the circle during the decisive overs.
A record falls, a sweep denied
With 66 needed from seven overs, Hope took Kuldeep Yadav for four and an 83-metre six down the ground. The 48th over broke it open: Anshul Kamboj overstepped with Hope on 146, the no-ball was heaved over mid-on and the free hit was crashed for four more, a 22-run over that all but sealed it. Hope finished the job in style, slogging Naman Dhir for six over deep backward square leg to level the scores before pushing a single to long-off. West Indies had their record chase, and India were left to settle for 2-1.
Draft the double-shift match-winner
This is the BuildXI lesson of the night: the most valuable pick is the player who does two jobs. You spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, take one player from each, and play a full season with the XI you end up with. A cricketer who keeps wicket for 50 overs and then carries his bat through a record chase is two players in one slot. The target is 14-0: fourteen league games, fourteen wins.