West Indies Achieve Historic ODI Chase Against India
West Indies' Record Chase
In a thrilling encounter at the PCA International Cricket Stadium, the West Indies successfully chased down a target of 352 runs against India in the third and final ODI. Captain Shai Hope played a pivotal role, scoring over 150 runs, marking this as the highest successful run chase for the West Indies in ODI history.
Hope's remarkable innings of 162 runs off 143 balls included 17 boundaries and three sixes. He formed a crucial partnership of 62 runs for the fifth wicket with Gudakesh Motie, helping the team secure victory with five wickets remaining.
Amir Jangoo also contributed significantly, scoring 67 runs off 56 balls, stabilizing the innings after the early loss of John Campbell. Following Jangoo's exit, Sherfane Rutherford (24 off 25) and Keemo Paul (44 off 35) kept the momentum going, with Paul playing a vital role before his dismissal.
The Indian bowlers struggled to take wickets consistently, as Hope maintained his aggressive approach, leading the West Indies to victory with 10 balls to spare. Despite efforts from Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Naman Dhir, who each took a wicket, they could not stop the West Indies from achieving a comfortable five-wicket win.
Rahul and Rohit Shine as India Posts 351
Earlier in the match, India bounced back from a shaky start to set a challenging total of 351/7. KL Rahul's outstanding century was instrumental in this effort during the third ODI against the West Indies.
Rahul's impressive score of 129 runs, which included 10 fours and two sixes, was crucial in pushing India past the 350-run mark. His century came off just 80 balls, making it the second-fastest of his nine ODI centuries, following his record 62-ball century against the Netherlands in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
India opted to bat first but faced early setbacks with Shubman Gill (1 off 6) and Virat Kohli (0 off 1) dismissed quickly. However, Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad steadied the innings with a vital partnership. Rohit scored 92 runs off 85 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes, falling just short of a century. He also became the fourth opener in ODI history to surpass 10,000 runs.
Gaikwad capitalized on his chances, scoring 57 runs off 69 balls. Naman Dhir contributed a quick 30 off 21 balls, while Anshul Kamboj added 17 runs off nine balls towards the end of the innings.
For the West Indies, Jayden Seales was the standout bowler, taking three wickets for 62 runs, while Keemo Paul and Gudakesh Motie claimed two and one wickets, respectively.