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Cricket Twitter Reactions

'Thala yaha bhi thala har jagah hai' - Fans react as Shai Hope credits MS Dhoni for his sensational knock in West Indies' thrilling win over England in 1st ODI

Hope was adjudged Player of the Match for his unbeaten 109 runs off 83.

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Mathew K
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MS Dhoni & Shai Hope (Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni & Shai Hope (Source: Twitter)

West Indies take a 1-0 lead against England in the three-match series with an epic run chase in the first ODI in Antigua on Sunday. Another shattering defeat for the 2019 world champions in the 50-over format as the hosts won by four wickets on the back of captain Shai Hope's sensational hundred. A target of 326 was never going to be easy on a tacky surface, but Hope kept his team's hopes alive as he paced the chase to perfection.

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The Windies openers got them off to a perfect start by adding a 104-run stand, with Alick Athanaze scoring a brilliant half-century. Brandon King and Keacy Carty had an off day, but Hope held one end up. After losing the wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, the scoreboard read 218/5 in the 39th over and it looked like England held the upper hand.

But when Romario Shepherd joined the skipper things slowly turned in the favour of the hosts. The two added an 89-run partnership off just 51 deliveries. Shepherd departed without getting a deserved half-century (48 off 28)) and not taking his side over the line. Hope, however, kept his nerve and brought up his century with a massive six, and sent one more over the ropes on the very next ball to seal their victory with 7 balls to spare.

I had a chat with MS Dhoni: Hope 

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Hope was adjudged Player of the Match for his unbeaten 109 runs off 83 that included 7 sixes and 4 fours. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 30-year-old recalled a conversation he had with former India captain MS Dhoni. 

“I had a chat with MS Dhoni some time back and he told me that you always have a lot more time at the crease than you think and that stuck with me. The century was in a winning cause and that’s all I play for. Happy that we won.”

He also praised the opener Athanaze and Shepherd for their valuable contributions. “Shepherd was amazing. We got the win, started the series on a high and the aim is to repeat it next game. Their openers played really well, we need to try to start a bit better in the next game. Nice to see the openers taking responsibility, they’re both great players. It’s about seeing how we can continue to repeat these performances.”

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Here's how fans reacted to Shai Hope crediting MS Dhoni for his match-winning hundred:

 

England MS Dhoni featured West Indies