Disappointed not to get the 100: Shikhar Dhawan

It was a memorable outing for the Men in Blue on Friday when they took on West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at Port of Spain in Trinidad. India clinched a three-run win by defeating West Indies in a nail-biting thriller, but skipper Shikhar Dhawan was disappointed even after the win as he fell short of just three runs from a well-deserved century.

Dhawan batted brilliantly and shut all the critics who commented on his game after the England series. Dhawan found a new opening partner as Shubman Gill opened the innings alongside him, and the duo put up a 119-run partnership to keep India in a commanding position. Even after Gill’s dismissal, Dhawan kept going, but he was picked by Gudakesh Motie on 97, probably just one shot away from the century.

“Disappointed not to get the 100, but it was a good effort by the team. We got a good score in the end. There were nerves in the end, and didn’t expect it to turn that way. We kept our cool, and one small change in the end where we pushed the fine leg back, and that really helped us. The discussion was to use the bigger side as much as we can and we want to keep on learning and make ourselves better for the rest of the competition,” Dhawan said during the post-match presentation.

India sailed past a competitive West Indies

Shikhar Dhawan’s knock surely didn’t go in vain as the Indian bowlers held their nerves and restricted the hosts from chasing the 309-run target. The game went down to the final delivery of the innings, with Siraj in charge of the bowling department and Romario Shepherd on strike. With five needed off the final delivery, Siraj conceded just one run and brilliantly won the game for his team.

With the thrilling win, India moved up in the series and took a 1-0 lead. The Men in Blue would now look to seal the deal by continuing their winning momentum and bagging a win in the second game, which is scheduled at the same venue on Sunday, July 24.