'A lot easier in India': Shai Hope explains how MS Dhoni's tips helped West Indies chase down a 350-plus total in 3rd ODI
‘A lot easier in India’: Shai Hope explains how MS Dhoni’s tips helped West Indies chase down a 350-plus total in 3rd ODI originally appeared on Cricket News.
Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Shai Hope scored an unbeaten 162 off 143 balls as West Indies chased down India’s 351/7 score and won the third ODI by five wickets.
- Hope said a chat with MS Dhoni, who told him he always has more time than he thinks, shaped his approach to the chase.
- West Indies were a batter short after Jewel Andrew’s injury, yet Hope planned around India’s slow over rate and struck the winning run.
‘Great man MS Dhoni told me…’: Shai Hope explains secret advice behind West Indies’ record 352 chase
Shai Hope has revealed that a few words from MS Dhoni helped him through the biggest chase of his career, and the West Indies captain made them count with an unbeaten 162 in the third ODI against India.
His 143-ball innings took the visitors to 352/5 in 48.2 overs, after the Men in Blue had posted 351/7. It was West Indies’ highest successful ODI chase, and it stopped India’s winning run after the hosts had taken the first two matches in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati.
Named Player of the Match, Hope explained that the former India captain had given him a simple idea to carry into the innings. It was about patience, and it shaped how he paced a target that few teams have ever reached.
“Something that I had a great chat with the great man MS Dhoni, he was telling you always have more time than you think,” Hope said.
“Just trying not to focus too much on the end result. Just look at the process, try to break the game down as best as I can and find ways to get the boundaries in the back end.
“It’s always a lot easier in India, especially with the dew. Wanted to finish the series on a strong not and glad we got over the line. Felt something around the groin area but wanted to fight through till the end.”
MORE: IND vs WI 3rd ODI 2026: Shai Hope’s unbeaten 162 helps the West Indies win the final ODI
[BCCI/Creimas]
Hope reveals secret to successful chase: ‘I calculated when I was batting’
Jewel Andrew reportedly hurt a finger while taking a catch and was taken to hospital, so Hope moved up to open the batting. He had already spent all 50 overs behind the stumps in high humidity, and West Indies were short of a batter, with Vitel Lawes also unavailable.
Hope reached his fifty off 46 balls and his 21st ODI century off 104 deliveries, which was a measured start to a very big chase. He then changed gears and scored 62 runs off his last 39 balls. After Keemo Paul fell in the 41st over, he added 62 off 29 balls with Gudakesh Motie to take the team home.
Moreover, India’s slow over rate meant they had to keep an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle for the last four overs, and Hope had seen it coming.
“I even thought about the overs that the Indian team were behind. So I knew they would have to bring a couple fielders in, in the back end,” he said.
“It’s always tough when you’re trying to defend a score and you got to have five men in the ring. So all those things I calculated when I was batting. Just so happened that everything worked out for us in the back end.”
A captain’s innings built on patience and planning
Hope’s innings deserves to be judged as an example of intelligent strategy as much as hitting. Chasing 352 after a full day in the field, with an opener missing and a batter short, would have unsettled most captains, yet he treated the problem as a series of small jobs. His 104-ball hundred followed by 62 off 39 balls shows a batter who accepted a steady start because he trusted his finish.
The over-rate calculation says even more. Few batters in the middle of such a chase would stop to count how many fielders the opposition must bring in, but Hope turned a penalty on India into a scoring chance for his own side.
MORE: Was Rutherford actually not out? Cricket world isn’t convinced by controversial decision
India, however, should take a lesson from it. A total of 351 is usually safe, and the bowlers could not defend it, partly because slow over rates made their task harder. Discipline in the field matters as much as runs on the board, and the 2027 World Cup will not forgive such lapses.
For West Indies, the win proves that this team can chase big totals when its captain sets the tempo. Dhoni’s tip was simple, but it needed a calm player to use it, and Hope was exactly that.
To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics, visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.