IND vs WI 2022: Shikhar Dhawan Lauds Youngsters For Showing Maturity in 3-0 Clean Sweep
India captain Shikhar Dhawan led a young bunch to an away series sweep of a full-strength West Indies on Wednesday in Port of Spain.
Despite the absence of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant, the tourists put up an impressive display winning the three-match series 3-0 with a host of youngsters eye-catching performances.
Among those was Shubman Gill who finished as the top run-getter and was chosen as player of the series as well. Then allrounder Axar Patel scored a match-winning fifty during the second ODI in a thrilling show.
Batting at no 3, Shreyas Iyer was quite consistent too and Dhawan was quick to acknowledge that despite the relative inexperience, the players showed maturity.
“I feel the boys are young, but they played maturely. The way they handled themselves on the field, really proud of them. Very good signs for us,” Dhawan said during the post-match presentation.
Dhawan himself was in good touch, hitting 97 in the series opener and then 58 in the third ODI. “I am quite pleased with my form, I have been playing this format since a long time. I was happy with the way I played that knock, in the first ODI. And even today, happy with my performance,” he said.
Gill was criticised for throwing away his wickets in the first two matches. The 22-year-old was in sublime touch on both the occasions and looked set for a big total but his innings were cut short abruptly.
However, he surely made up for those failures but was unlucky that rain put paid to his hopes of a maiden ODI century as India innings ended early with the opener stranded on 98.
“The way he (Gill) scored those 98 runs, it was amazing to watch. The way all the boys responded, it was pretty amazing,” Dhawan said.
He added, “I am proud of our bowling unit, they gave their hundred percent. The way (Mohammed) Siraj took those two wickets, and the way Shardul (Thakur) and others bowled.”
The 35-year-old also thanked the fans for their support. “We feel lucky to come here, we are thankful to the crowd. They make us more popular,” he said.