West Indies deny India clean sweep

West Indies chase down a target of 352 to secure a famous win in New Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH:

Shai Hope anchored the chase with an unbeaten 162 off 143 balls as West Indies prevented India from completing a series sweep with a five-wicket victory in the third and final one-day international in New Chandigarh on Saturday. 

After the early loss of John Campbell in the fifth over, Hope combined with Amir ⁠Jangoo for a crucial 109-run stand to steady the innings, helping West Indies reach 78-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Jangoo struck his third ODI half-century before being run out for 67, while Sherfane Rutherford fell soon after for ⁠24. Hope, however, maintained the momentum, adding another vital 56-run partnership to keep the chase on track. Despite the dismissals of Keemo Paul and Matthew Forde, Hope remained in control of the chase. 

Gudakesh Motie contributed a brisk 19 ⁠off 14 balls, as West Indies sealed ⁠victory with 10 balls to spare.

India were forced to rebuild after slipping to 4-2, but Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad steadied the innings with a 137-run partnership.

Sharma anchored the recovery with a fluent 92 off 85 balls before falling eight runs short of a century. After Rohit's dismissal, KL Rahul made the most of his ⁠lone batting opportunity of the series, bringing up his ninth ODI hundred. 

Rahul accelerated ⁠sharply at the death, smashing 42 runs off the final 12 balls he faced to convert his century into a career-best ODI score. Gaikwad chipped in with a half-century before being dismissed by Jayden Seales. With Rahul unbeaten on 129, India finished strongly through late cameos from Naman Dhir (30 off 21 balls) and Anshul Kamboj (17 off ⁠nine balls). 

Their contributions helped propel India to 351-7, with Rahul and Gurnoor Brar unbeaten at the crease. The Shubman Gill-led side had already secured the series by winning the opening two ODIs. In the second match, India completed a record chase of 406 with 6.3 overs to spare to seal the series.