West Indies beat India by five wickets in the final one-day international, chasing down a target of 351 for 7 with 10 balls still to come. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 129 and Rohit Sharma’s 92 had set up what looked a match-winning total. India had already wrapped up the three-match series 2-0, so the result changed nothing on paper, but neither side treated it as a formality.
Shai Hope only opened the batting because Jewel Andrew had been hurt while fielding earlier in the day. Hope had been wearing the keeping gloves himself that afternoon, before swapping them for a helmet to face the new ball. He went on to be named player of the match.
The chase still carried late drama, including a contentious review that cost Sherfane Rutherford his wicket. As our West Indies series view had noted before this game, the series was already settled, but that didn’t stop either side fighting for it on the day.
Detailed First Half Narrative
West Indies won the toss and chose to field, hoping early wickets might set the tone. It worked for two deliveries that mattered. Jayden Seales found the edge of Shubman Gill’s bat, and Hope, keeping instead of standing at the top of the order that morning, completed the catch behind the stumps. Seales did not wait long to strike again, bowling Virat Kohli with his next legitimate delivery.
Ruturaj Gaikwad should not have lasted much longer. He was dropped twice on five, then let off again on nine and on 34, each reprieve more costly than the last. India made the most of the fielding lapses, and Gaikwad’s innings gave Rahul and Rohit the platform to build steadily through the middle overs.
Rahul finished unbeaten on 129, anchoring the innings from one end, while Rohit made 92 in support. Between them they turned a shaky start into a daunting total, and then India cut loose. Their last ten overs alone produced 105 runs, a late flurry that pushed the total to 351 for 7.
Detailed Second Half Narrative & Drama
West Indies’ reply began with an unplanned change at the top. Hope opened only because Andrew had been injured while fielding, swapping the gloves he had worn earlier for a bat and a helmet. It proved to be the most important enforced change of the series.
Hope settled in alongside Amir Jangoo, and the pair put on 109 for the second wicket, the foundation that gave West Indies a real chance of chasing down 351. It was patient batting rather than anything flashy, exactly what the chase demanded at that stage.
The game’s most contentious moment arrived when Rutherford was given out caught behind on 24, after review. Replays showed his bat had clipped his pad, but the third umpire still ruled that it had also made contact with the ball, and the decision stood. Rutherford argued animatedly with the umpires before Hope stepped in and convinced him to walk off.
Commentator Ian Bishop was blunt about how it looked from the broadcast box, as relayed in the source report. “Sherfane Rutherford is not best pleased, because he thought bat hit pad,” Bishop said. “He (the third umpire) said he couldn’t see a gap between bat and ball – so that’s an interesting one.” It was the sort of marginal call that keeps fuelling debate over technology in the game, a theme that also runs through our scandals ranking of cricket’s more divisive flashpoints.
West Indies still needed 56 off the last five overs when Hope found the gear that mattered most. He smashed 40 runs from his final 16 deliveries, and it summed up why West Indies beat India by five wickets even in a game with nothing riding on the series itself. The winning run came with 10 balls to spare.
Hope explained his approach in Hope’s post-match words after being named player of the match. “(Chasing) is always a lot easier in India, especially with the dew. We wanted to finish the series on a strong note and I’m glad we got over the line,” he said. “I wanted to fight through till the end,” he added, before crediting a conversation with a familiar voice. “It’s something I had a chat about with the great man MS Dhoni, who told me that you always have more time than you think.”
Player Ratings (home side)
Shai Hope (9/10): Forced into the gloves, then into the opening slot, after Andrew’s injury, Hope still anchored the chase. His 109-run stand with Jangoo set the base, and 40 off his last 16 balls sealed it. He was deservedly player of the match.
Amir Jangoo (7/10): Jangoo’s role in the 109-run second-wicket stand with Hope gave West Indies the platform a target of 351 demanded. His patient batting alongside Hope set up the assault that followed, even if the headlines went elsewhere.
Sherfane Rutherford (6/10): Rutherford was 24 when a marginal caught-behind review went against him, with replays suggesting his bat had clipped his pad rather than the ball. He argued before Hope talked him into leaving, a wicket decided by technology rather than the bowler.
Jayden Seales (8/10): Seales struck twice in two deliveries, having Gill caught behind by Hope before bowling Kohli with his next legitimate ball. Early breakthroughs like that make a target of 351 feel more containable than it looks.
Player Ratings (opponent)
KL Rahul (9/10): Rahul’s unbeaten 129 did the heavy lifting in India’s innings, anchoring one end while others came and went. His effort helped build a total that still fell short on the day, despite the series already being won.
Rohit Sharma (8/10): Rohit’s 92 gave India a second foothold in the middle overs, pairing with Rahul to turn an uncertain start into a platform. It helped set up the late assault that followed.
Shubman Gill (4/10): Gill was caught behind by Hope off Seales after one delivery that mattered. A tough way to begin the day’s cricket for India’s top order.
Virat Kohli (4/10): Kohli followed Gill back to the pavilion almost immediately, bowled by Seales with the very next legitimate delivery. Two wickets in two balls left India needing their middle order to repair the innings early.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (6/10): Gaikwad should have gone long before he did, dropped twice on five and reprieved again on nine and on 34. Those missed chances proved costly, even if his final contribution never quite matched his luck.
Elsewhere in the sport this week, Irish cricket marked the end of an era with Simi Singh’s retirement, while followers of the county game can catch up on Weatherald’s return note ahead of the new Sheffield Shield season.
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