India win ODI series against West Indies (Photo: Courtesy BCCI Twitter Handle)
Port of Spain: India ended the ODI series against West Indies with a whitewash as the Men-In-Blue beat the hosts by 119 runs (D/L method) in the third and final match at Port of Spain on Wednesday. Terming the series win to be a collective effort, India skipper Shikhar Dhawan said that his young team played maturely and handled themselves well.
"My boys are young in age but played maturely. They showed common sense and handled themselves well. The whole team performed which is important," said Dhawan, adding that he was pleased with his form. "I know how to convert 50s into 100s. Got out on 97 in the first game, even today I was good. I took a risk to up the run rate and got out."
Speaking about Shubhman Gill's knock (98*), Dhawan said, "It happens sometimes. The 98 was good. He timed the ball well. The way Shreyas and how everyone responded was great. I'm proud of our bowlers, they gave their 100 percent. Siraj took two early, Axar, Chahal, Shardul - everyone deserves credit for the win."
Shubman Gill, who was Player of the Match as well as series, said, "It was bittersweet. I was expecting to get 100. It was not under my control as it rained, but I was happy with my innings. I was disappointed with how I got out in the first two matches. I tried to rotate strike. After the rain break, we let our instincts take over. I just wanted one more over when we walked out before the last break. The wickets were good, I thought the ball was gripping after 25-30 overs but they were great."
Nicholas Pooran, West Indies Captain, said, "Tough one for us, felt we could have been on the other side of the series. Today, we did not show up. We've had a lot of games in a short period of time. We'll go with a lot learnings to the next game. We thought we had it halfway, with DLS. 7 rpo was a challenge, not getting a good start and not stringing partnerships led to the loss. We have a young team, they're inexperienced and understanding. India played outstandingly, congrats to them. I'm expecting guys to get better, learn about their game. Hopefully, we'll do well against New Zealand."
