In the rain-hit final ODI, India posted a 225 for 3 in 36 overs courtesy of Gill’s career-best innings and another half-century from skipper Shikhar Dhawan (58 off 74 balls).
The revised DLS target of 257 from 35 overs was a tricky one and Mohammad Siraj’s (2/14 in 3 overs) was perfect in the first over with the new ball as West Indies could only manage 137 runs in 26 overs.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (4/17 in 4 overs), Axar Patel (1/3 in 6 overs) and fast bowler Shardul Thakur (2/17 in 5 overs) also dismissed Brandon King (42 runs in 37 balls). Played his role brilliantly on the slow surface. The counter-attack resistance from Gayre and Nicholas Pooran (42 off 32 balls) was never enough.
Even though all three ODIs were played at the same location, Dhawan and his team have to be commended for making the most of the possibilities and displaying excellent sportsmanship throughout the series.
If they handled pressure effectively in the first game, the lower middle order put on a tough chase following a strong showing from the top order in the second.
The third game posed a unique challenge since a rain break might have marked a significant difference in the game’s tempo. However, the elegant Gill and the gifted Shreyas Iyer (44 off 34 balls) altered the game’s atmosphere after the break.
India were 115 for 1 in 24 overs when the first stop was in place, but once play resumed, the visitors suddenly went ahead, scoring 110 in the next 12 overs as Gill reached his maiden century. Input increased. However, Gill scored 205 runs in three matches with scores of 64, 43 and 98 not out.
Gill will be grateful to the series for giving him some breathing room in the 50-over format while the bilateral ODI tournament is struggling to stay relevant in other parts of the world.
Even when the “Big Boys” return to the ODI setup, both Shubman Gill and his skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who exclusively plays the ODI format, have done more than enough to maintain their position.
When it began to sprinkle again, Gill’s expression turned hopeless, and when he hit the anxious 90s, he would kick himself for not acting sooner.
Gill batted in two different gears during the innings. Before the rain break, he was more of an accumulator while he headed to the landmark once again before starting once again through the Caribbean onslaught.
However, no one can take credit for this scintillating innings and his stand-out shots will be two sixes from leg-spinner Hayden Walsh and a picture-perfect off-drive from pacer Jaden Seals.
Captain Dhawan, who has been India’s highest run-scorer in this format during the last two years, showed why he is still indispensable in this format.
Dhawan and Gill added 113 for the opening stand, their second hundred-plus partnership in the series, as the left-hander scored his second half-century (58 off 74 balls) after 97 runs in the opening game.
Dhawan’s innings had seven fours, while Gill had hit seven fours and two sixes till the 36th over. Siraj’s ability to give early blows did the trick as he dismissed Kyle Meyers (0) and Shamrah Brooks (0) in his first over.
Chasing a target of 257 runs in 36 overs, a scorecard of 0 for 2 is always a bad omen and West Indies never recovered from that setback.