Shai Hope 162*: Record 352 Chase Stuns India as West Indies Win 3rd ODI Thriller

One man’s will, 162 not out, and a mountain reduced to rubble. Shai Hope 162 is the innings that will be remembered as West Indies completed their highest-ever ODI run chase, hunting down 352 to beat India by five wickets in the third ODI at Mullanpur — even as India sealed the series 2-1.

Chasing a mammoth 352, the Windies skipper stayed till the end, scoring the winning runs with ten balls to spare. His unbeaten 162 off 143 balls — his 21st ODI hundred and second of the series — stole the thunder from KL Rahul’s classy 129 not out, which had earlier lifted India to 351/7.

Shai Hope 162*: Anatomy of a Record Chase

The previous West Indies record was 328 against Ireland in 2019. This — 352 against India, in India — eclipses it and every other 300-plus pursuit in their history. Hope constructed it with clinical pacing: a reprieve from Gurnoor Brar early on, fifty off just 46 balls, century off 104, then ice-cold acceleration as the asking rate climbed.

He wasn’t alone. Amir Jangoo played the perfect foil with 67 off 56, Keemo Paul smashed a vital 44 off 35, and Sherfane Rutherford chipped in with 24. The 124-run Hope-Jangoo stand broke India’s back; the final 15 overs were a study in calm finishing.

India’s Nightmare Start — and Rahul’s Rescue

India’s innings had its own drama. Jayden Seales struck twice in the second over — Shubman Gill gone for 1, Virat Kohli for a first-ball duck — and India were 4/2 in three overs. Rohit Sharma (92 off 85) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (57 off 69) rebuilt, before KL Rahul’s unbeaten 129 off 87 balls — 10 fours, 6 sixes — powered India to 351/7 with 112 runs in the final ten overs.

It should have been a match-winning total. Instead, India’s bowling unravelled on a flat Mullanpur surface. Anshul Kamboj leaked 0/82 in nine overs, Nitish Kumar Reddy went for 0/50, and only Kuldeep Yadav (1/62) and Naman Dhir offered control. Once the ball lost its shine, discipline collapsed.

Shai Hope 162*: Where It Ranks Among Great ODI Chases

Only a handful of teams in ODI history have successfully chased down 350 or more. The Shai Hope 162 masterclass joins a short list headlined by South Africa’s legendary 438 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006 and India’s 362 for one against Australia in Jaipur in 2013. For West Indies — a side whose ODI fortunes have faded badly over the past decade — this was their biggest statement in years: the highest chase in their history, completed on Indian soil against an attack that had dominated them all series.

The innings also underlines Hope’s remarkable consistency. His 21 ODI centuries place him among the most prolific active batters in the format, and his second hundred of this series capped a tour in which he looked a class above his teammates. Captaincy has clearly sharpened rather than dulled his batting — he absorbed pressure through the middle overs, targeted India’s fifth bowler ruthlessly, and finished with the calm of a man who had scripted the ending from the start.

India, meanwhile, must confront an uncomfortable truth: 351/7 should be a winning score almost every time. With tougher assignments ahead, the fifth bowler’s overs and death-bowling execution will demand urgent attention from the team management before the next series.

Series Takeaways

India take the series 2-1, and the positives are real — Rahul’s form, Rohit’s 92, the depth of the batting. But conceding 352 will sting. For West Indies, this is a statement: modern chasing specialists who refuse to die wondering. Shai Hope 162 will be talked about for years — the day a captain dragged his team over a mountain, one boundary at a time.

Sources: NDTV Sports, Outlook India.