When skipper Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul got out cheaply in the third and final T20 between India and West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here, things became dicey for India as opener Shikhar Dhawan hadn’t fired so far in the T20 series and the middle-order hadn’t been tested.
West Indies had a good chance of ending the tour on a high after being humbled in the Test and ODI series. But Dhawan had other plans. His experience, coupled with Rishabh Pant’s flamboyance, helped India defeat West Indies by six wickets to complete a 3-0 sweep. This was West Indies’ eighth loss on the tour, meaning they will be heading to Bangladesh will not much confidence.
Dhawan, who had been dismissed by fast bowler Oshane Thomas thrice in four innings, was on the attack quickly, smashing him for two boundaries in the second over. The wicket didn’t offer much movement, allowing Dhawan to play his shots even with Rohit and Rahul falling inside the Powerplay.
Pant, who impressed in England, showed he’s growing into the role with a blistering half-century and a 130-run stand with Dhawan snatching the game away from the visitors. Pant’s two sixes off Thomas in the 11thover, which yielded 18 runs sparked India’s fireworks before the hosts stuttered towards the end with Dhawan and Pant falling in quick succession.
With one required off the last ball, Manish Pandey took a quick single to seal the deal for his side. Dhawan scored 92 off 62 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes while Pant’s 58 came off just 38 balls.
Pooran shines
For the first time in the series, West Indies batsmen, known for their power-hitting, came to their own. Openers Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer put on a fifty-plus stand for the first time in 13 T20 Internationals in Asia and that set the tone.
Darren Bravo struggled for boundaries for most part of his innings but held one end, allowing Nicholas Pooran to go for innovative shots, particularly the reverse-scoop as the visitors posted 181/3. The duo put on an unbeaten 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Pooran and Bravo remained unbeaten on 53 and 43 respectively.
For India, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick with 2/28 while local boy and off-spinner Washington Sundar scalped wicket-keeper batsman Denesh Ramdin for 15.