‘Always had faith in our batters’—Hope after Windies’ record chase

Hope led from the front with 162 not out, his 21st ODI hundred 

West Indies 352 for 5 (Hope 162*, Jangoo 67; Naman 1-33) beat India 351 for 7 (Rahul 129*, Rohit 92, Seales 3-62) by 5 wickets

West Indies captain Shai Hope says he was confident at the halfway stage of the third One-Day International against India on Saturday, knowing the required 352 meant his team would need to complete their highest successful chase in the format to win. 

“Honestly, in India you always feel you can chase any score down,” Hope began. “The conditions tend to get a little bit better for batting. It's a lot wetter; dew comes into play, and the ball tends to come off of the bat a lot nicer. We always had faith in our batters to get the job done.”

After being on the end of consecutive crushing defeats, Hope hit a masterful unbeaten 162, helping the Caribbean side to better their previous record chase—328 against Ireland in 2019—by a significant margin. They did so without the availability of Jewell Andrew and Vitel Lawes. 

Andrew was taken to the hospital for an X-ray after sustaining a blow to his finger while taking the catch which dismissed Naman Dhir. Lawes was forced off the field after bowling just five overs.

“We were a man down,” Hope said of young Andrew, who was set to open the innings. “If you count Vitel Lawes as well, that makes it two. So it's always been a challenge, so I just had to put my foot down. Whatever the team requires, I'm always going to put my hand up and make sure I can give my best account for the team.”

This was Hope’s second century of the series, following his 104 in the second encounter. His player of the match knock today came off 143 balls, and Hope was pleased with his contribution.

“We won the game, so firstly I'm going to rate this one a lot higher than the rest,” Hope said. “Anytime we win the game, anytime I perform, anytime I contribute to the team's success, it's always going to be a great feeling. I'm just happy that the guys could finish the series on a high.”

Hope shared in a 109-run stand with Amir Jangoo (67) for the second wicket before putting up half-century partnerships with Sherfane Rutherford (56 from 56) and Keemo Paul (65 from 61).

The Barbadian bided his time throughout the innings, ensuring he was there at the latter stages. Following the dismissals of Rutherford (24) and Paul (44), he found a partner in Gudakesh Motie (19), and the two put on 62 from 30 balls to see the West Indies home at 352 for 5 in 48.2 overs.

“It's just about trying to understand and adapt to the situation as quickly as you can. And try to take the game as deep as possible. There's a lot more to get into, obviously, but it was just about trying to be there at the end to finish the game.”