India’s stand-in skipper Shikhar Dhawan was a proud man after his team inflicted a 3-0 whitewash over West Indies with a resounding 119-run victory (DLS method) in the third ODI in Trinidad on Wednesday (July 27).

In a rain-marred affair, the visitors rode on opener Shubman Gill’s run-a-ball 98* to post 225/3 on the board in 36 overs.

In reply, the hosts got bowled out for a paltry 137 in 26 overs as Yuzvendra Chahal (4-17), Mohammed Siraj (2-14) and Shardul Thakur (2-17) ran through their batting line-up.

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Speaking after the game, Dhawan lauded India’s young players for showing character and turning challenges into opportunities.

“I am very proud of the team, the way we have played the whole series. In every match we showed character and turned the challenges into great opportunities. I am happy the way everyone has performed and chipped in,” Dhawan said during the post-match press conference.

“I feel this was as a complete performance I can get as a captain. I am very happy and content. Whatever I asked from the boys they did it,” he added.

Dhawan finished as the second highest scorer in the series with 168 runs after Gill (205 runs). The southpaw scored 74-ball 58 in the third ODI and added 113 runs for the opening wicket with Gill.

“I am very happy with my own batting because I could feel the way I was hitting the shots. With some much experience I know how to play with calmness. I feel good when I handle pressure with more calmness now,” the captain stated.

“There are only positives from the team’s perspective. Everyone made runs in the batting unit, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju, Akshar. It’s a very good sign for any batting unit. They are all youngsters and the way they responded in all the matches it’s a big thing.

“And in bowling (Mohammed) Siraj, Prasidh (Krishna), Shardul (Thakur… Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) is experienced. Akshar also chipped in. Even Hooda bowled well too. The entire bowling unit also did well. It feels good to see both the units performing,” he said.

Shikhar Dhawan had special praise reserved for Shubman Gill, comparing the 22-year-old with Rohit Sharma.

“He (Gill) has got a very good technique and he is a very classy player. I think he has got bit of a Rohit touch in him. He seems to have a lot of time the way he bats. Good to see that he scored 98 today. He knew how to convert those fifties into 90s,” he said.

Dhawan also showered rich praise on Siraj and all-rounder Deepak Hooda for their bowling exploits.

“Siraj is a quality bowler. His self belief has increased a lot. He knows what he has to do. He backs himself. So as a captain it becomes easy for me. It feels good to see as a skipper that the boys know what to do, they know their responsibilities.

“I knew before the series that Deepak can perform the role of an all-rounder and the way he responded in the first match, his confidence started to grow as a bowler. Not just left-hander, he bowled well to right-handers as well,” he said.

“After first match we saw their left-handers are facing some problems against Deepak, so we decided to bowl him from the start as fast bowlers weren’t able to extract much swing.”

According to Dhawan, India’s domestic structure, especially the IPL, deserves credit for the growth of young players.

“The ways the boys are responding, they are young in age but are quite mature and sensible. They can handle the pressure quite nicely. Thanks to our domestic cricket and IPL as because of that exposure, the transition to international cricket becomes quite easy.

“Hats off to all the boys. They have been very disciplined and quite practical,” the skipper concluded.

(With PTI inputs)