A few blockbusters kept the visitors hooked till the end and then one-sided rain interrupted play – thus ending the three-match ODI series between India and West Indies. On Wednesday, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side registered a 119-run victory to clean sweep the hosts 3-0.
Read also: India complete 3-0 clean sweep
Rain played a poor game and didn’t give Shubman Gill his maiden international century, but it didn’t stop India’s dominance over the West Indies.
The series saw the second-row team India take on West Indies at full strength and still roll them. For the Men in Blue, the win once again highlighted their bench strength, but at the same time, there were areas that needed to be addressed.
As India successfully wrap up another white-ball series on foreign soil, let’s take a look at the takeaways:
Shikhar Dhawan’s Redemption
When Dhawan left for England, his form was not good. But the responsibility of leading the team in the absence of the big guns brought out his better version and not the best as three games were not enough to bring back the old Dhawan who could hardly breathe or allow the bowlers to do so while batting. Were. During the Caribbean series, the opener got runs but at a slow pace.
Shikhar Dhawan gestures after taking the catch. (AP photo)
97 in the series opener and 58 in the final game on Wednesday was expected but the old touch was definitely missing somewhere. Overall, it was a sweet and sour kind of series for him, and he is experienced enough to test himself and come back strong.
Shubman Gill, The Rising Star
After playing his last ODI in 2020, Gill returned to the 50-over format after more than 18 months. He could not have asked for a better comeback as he finished the series as the highest scorer with 205 runs to his name. In the opening game on 27 July, he scored his maiden ODI fifty and could have scored his maiden international century if rain had not played a bad game on Wednesday. He was stranded on 98 before the game, which was intercepted twice, ending India’s innings at 225/3 early. It was a bitter shot for the youngster, but he has certainly intensified the struggle for the World Cup for the openers; If not in Australia (T20) then surely there will be 50 overs in India next year.
Read also: Gill Russ first hundred missing due to rain interruption
Development of Akshar Patel
The team management needed a similar replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who had suffered a swallow before the start of the series. Akshar was trusted to fill the void and did not disappoint. He was not as effective as a spinner, but what Axar did with the bat in hand in the second match raised hopes. His unbeaten 64 off 35 balls helped India win the series and also testified to the Indian team’s rock-solid bench strength.
Axar Patel played a match-winning innings in the second ODI. (AP photo)
sun without effect
After real consistency, Suryakumar Yadav showed that he is a human being. The right-handed batsman has been performing consistently till he reaches the Caribbean. For the first time since his international debut, the Mumbai cricketer had a formidable series in which he scored only 30 runs in three innings at an average of just 10.
bowling average
If the top-order put up a promising performance throughout the series, the bowlers could not match it. He was able to score a full 10 runs in the final game on Wednesday but before that the Windies batsmen completely defeated him in the first two games. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami was visible and also raises questions on the team’s strategy to drop young Arshdeep Singh despite a commendable debut in England.
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