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The last match of the T20I series saw Windies winning the toss and deciding to bat first. The opening pair of Shai Hope and Shemron Hetmyer started slowly but steadily scoring 51 runs in the batting power play.
It was after the introduction of Yuzvendra Chahal when India clawed their way back into the match taking 2 quick wickets and sending both the openers back in the hut. From there on it was all about the Indian spinners drying the runs in the middle overs until the entry of Nicholas Pooran. The young Windies batsmen smashed 53 off just 25 balls and took them to an above par total of 181.
India’s chase started on a very poor note as they lost their captain, Rohit Sharma, at the start of the innings. KL Rahul, after playing some classy shots, also perished. In came Rishabh Pant, who with Shikhar Dhawan, steadied the innings.
Once the Delhi duo got settled, they both shifted gears and in no time bought down the required run rate from 10.5 to 8. The two aggressive batsmen then dominated the Windies attack and took India to a 3-0 series victory. Dhawan scored 92 off just 62 balls.
Here's what the two captains said at the end of the match.
Carlos Brathwaite: It would have been. We had a chat before the game and talked about every game being important. We wanted to put a smile on the fans' face but didn't get the result we would have liked. I will take the effort and believe, especially taking it to the last ball after Shikhar and Rishabh's partnership. We saw a few balls grip but on reflection we did not switch quickly enough. (On Nicholas Pooran's talent) There are a few here; Shai, Hetmyer and Pooran. But it is important to get the best out of everyone and create a unit that can challenge for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Rohit Sharma: Games like these happen a lot. Especially in the IPL, these have happened a lot. We wanted to be ruthless and not take a backseat. This kind of performance gives a lot of confidence. We didn't want to be complacent and wanted to come out and win. As a team there is always scope for improvement. We need to improve on handling pressure situations while bowling. It is important to stick to your strengths, and a lot of these guys have not played much for India so a home series like this was the perfect opportunity to show their talent. I was also very impressed with the fielding efforts in this tournament by the team.
Man of the Match Shikhar Dhawan: Today, I finally got a big score. Even last match I was happy with the 43. I knew I had to stay till the end when we lost two wickets. Really happy with the way Rishabh and I played. I knew that he was going after the bowlers and I had to make sure to keep one end safe. He hit some amazing sixes and then I joined the party. It is a big score, I'm very happy. It doesn't matter to me what people say, I just back myself and my batting.
Here's how Twitter reacted to India's victory.
Harsha Bhogle
Aakash Chopra
VVS Laxman
RP Singh
Ayaz Memon
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