KL Rahul hits unbeaten 129 but West Indies chase down 352 in third ODI

KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 129 for India in the third ODI against the West Indies on October 4, 2026, but the visitors chased down India’s 352 with 10 balls to spare to win by five wickets. Shai Hope produced an unbeaten 162 to lead the successful chase.

Rahul walked in at No. 5 after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 92, with India having already lost Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli cheaply and Ruturaj Gaikwad dismissed soon after. Since his unbeaten 112 against New Zealand earlier this year in Rajkot, Rahul had faced only 37 balls in ODIs across seven matches and had not batted in the first two ODIs against the West Indies, leaving him short of extended time at the crease.

Rahul paced his innings, initially rotating the strike and finding gaps before increasing his scoring rate in the latter stages; he reached a half-century from 41 balls and brought up his century from 80, finishing unbeaten on 129. "Yeah, very happy. Firstly, I wanted some time in the middle. I think the last time I really got some time in the middle batting in ODI cricket was in early January, and since then I haven’t really got a lot of time," Rahul told the broadcasters after the match. "I got a quick knock against Afghanistan, but I was searching for some time in the middle. It’s a big year, with the ODI World Cup around the corner, so it’s important for me to get that game time," Rahul said.

"Off the field, I’m trying a few things and I want to test that in the game. Only then will you know whether what you’re doing and the work that you’re putting in behind the scenes is working or not, or what you need to do differently. So, yeah, it was important for me to get some game time, and I’m happy about that," Rahul added.

Rahul’s acceleration in the closing overs was a defining feature of his knock as he attacked the West Indies bowlers, found boundaries regularly and used the crease to create scoring opportunities. Rohit’s 92 and Gaikwad’s 57 had laid the platform for India’s 352 but proved insufficient when Hope countered with his unbeaten 162.

Rahul had finally got the valuable ODI game time he had been searching for, but he would have enjoyed it more had it come in a winning cause.