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MS Dhoni played an unexpected role in West Indies denying India a 3-0 ODI series sweep. West Indies captain Shai Hope revealed that a conversation with the former India captain helped him stay calm and trust his approach during the successful chase in the third ODI.
Hope then produced the performance needed to finish the job, scoring an unbeaten 162 off 143 balls as West Indies chased down India's 351/7 with 10 balls remaining. The visitors reached 352/5 in 48.2 overs to win by five wickets and end the series 1-2.
I had a great chat with the great man MS Dhoni - Shai Hope credits India great for West Indies' chase
Shai Hope was the key figure in West Indies' chase and paced his innings carefully despite wickets falling around him. He also kept India's fielding restrictions in mind and waited for opportunities to accelerate towards the end.
The West Indies captain revealed that his conversation with MS Dhoni helped him approach the chase with patience.
“Well, firstly, we were a batter down, probably two if you count Vitel Lawes as well. So it would always be a challenge. And something that I had a great chat with the great man MS Dhoni, he was telling me you always have more time than you think. So just trying not to focus too much on the end result," Shai Hope said.
"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. 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. So 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.”
Chasing in India is easier - Shai Hope
Shai Hope's unbeaten 162 was supported by Amir Jangoo's 67 and Keemo Paul's 44 as West Indies maintained control of the chase. The captain also pointed to the conditions and the dew as factors that helped the visitors while chasing.
"Yeah, it's something in India, it's always a lot easier, especially when dew comes out. But yeah, we wanted to finish the series on a strong note, so I'm just happy the guys got over the line today," Shai Hope said.
“[On when he started feeling discomfortable] Probably about 30 overs in, felt a little something in the groin area. So just tried to fight to the end there.”
I got two days to turn things around - Shai Hope gives update on his comeback
Shai Hope managed to complete the chase despite the discomfort and will now have a short window to recover before West Indies' next assignment. He also reflected on the ODI series, admitting that while the batting had been encouraging, the bowling remained an area for improvement.
“I think we played some really good cricket in patches. The batters were scoring some runs. That's what we really wanted to do. So yeah, we've been doing really well for the last two, three years where batters have been more consistent. We asked them to put big scores on the board. It's always difficult bowling in these conditions. We know India, more batter friendly," Shai Hope added.
"You got to bring your skills out and very, very, very small margins for error. So from a bowling standpoint, we learned a lot. I'm sure the guys are going to take this and hopefully we can get a lot better in the bowling side of things going forward. [On recovering in time for the upcoming shorter format] So hopefully, I got two days to turn things around, so hopefully I'm match ready.”
