Port of Spain (TIP)- India beat West Indies by 119 runs via DLS method in a rain-hit third ODI to complete a 3-0 whitewash against West Indies here. Opting to bat, India posted 225 for three in 36 overs with opener Shubman Gill scoring an unbeaten run-a-ball 98 and skipper Shikhar Dhawan hitting a 74-ball 58. Shreyas Iyer also cracked a 34-ball 44 in the match which was reduced to 36 runs after multiple rain interruptions. Chasing a revised target of 257 in 35 overs, the Windies folded for 137 in 26 overs. Brandon King (42) and Nicholas Pooran (42) top-scored for the hosts. Mohammed Siraj (2/14), Yuzvendra Chahal (4/17) and Shardul Thakur (2/17) were among wickets for India.
Brief Scores: India: 225 for 3 in 36 overs (Shubman Gill 98; Hayden Walsh 2/57) West Indies: 137 allout in 26 overs (Brandon King 42, Nicholas Pooran 42; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/17).
Dhawan Becomes Fourth Indian Captain To Win All ODI Matches In Overseas Tour
Shikhar Dhawan, who led in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the ODI leg, achieved an incredible feat after handing the hosts a whitewash in the series. Dhawan became the fourth Indian captain to win all the ODI matches in an overseas tour. Dhawan led the Indian team for the second time after he was named captain of a second-string side in Sri Lanka last year. The southpaw scored 168 runs in this series at 56 with 97 coming off his blade in the series opener. “I feel the boys are young, but they played maturely. The way they handled themselves on the field, really proud them. Very good signs for us. I am quite pleased with my form, I have been playing this format for a long time. I was happy with the way I played that knock, in the first ODI. And even today, happy with my performance,” Dhawan said in the post-match presentation. “The way all the boys responded, it was pretty amazing. We feel lucky to come here, we are thankful to the crowd. They make us more popular. I am proud of our bowling unit, they gave their hundred per cent. The way Siraj took those two wickets, and the way Shardul and others bowled,” he added.
This was the third instance of a team clean sweeping an opponent twice in a calendar year. Earlier in February, India defeated West Indies with a similar margin in the three-match ODI series.
Zimbabwe is the first team to achieve this feat against Bangladesh in 2001. Five years later Bangladesh repeated the achievement against Kenya.
‘Why not Dhawan for T20 WC?
“We need him (Dhawan) if we talk about the 50-over World Cup. But why not Shikhar Dhawan for the T20 World Cup, why not an experienced player, the sort of form that is being seen, the way his feet are moving, the fantastic fielding he is doing, Shikhar has presented an extremely strong case,” the former India player told India News. “Dhawan is a player who was down and out. There was not much talk about him a few months back, but it has been a fantastic turnaround because he is captaining in ODI cricket and the form he has caught, it seems he is a certainty,” he added. Former India wicketkeeper and national selector Saba Karim, however, wants Dhawan to partner Rohit Sharma in the ODI World Cup next year. “His performance has been exceptional if we talk about ODI cricket. Shikhar Dhawan showed that he has a lot of cricket left in him and presented a strong case for next year’s World Cup,” he said.