Chennai, Nov 11: Shikhar Dhawan smashed a career-best 92 to guide India to a thrilling six-wicket win over the West Indies in the third and final T20 International, thus completing a 3-0 clean sweep, here on Sunday.
Dhawan hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 62-ball innings and forged a scintillating 130-run partnership with Rishab Pant (58) for the third wicket to take India home in the last ball of the innings.
There was some drama towards the end as India lost the wickets of Pant and Dhawan leaving the host to score one run off the last delivery bowled by Fabian Allen to secure the victory.
Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik ran the single after Allen misfielded the former’s shot to pick up the winning run.
Earlier, left-handed batsman Nicholas Pooran’s quick-fire half-century powered West Indies to a competitive 181 for 3.
Chasing the target of 182 to win, Dhawan and Rishab came together at 45 for 2 after India had lost skipper Rohit Sharma (4) and K L Rahul (17).
The Delhi duo put up a splendid show, treating the spectators at the M A Chidambaram stadium to some spectacular shots with Pant, in particular, showing a penchant to go for the big shots.
After an indifferent run in the first two matches, Dhawan found his groove early and stroked the ball fluently. Boundaries flowed from his bat as he kept the scoreboard ticking. The two were quick between the wickets and also ran twos at will.
The Indian innings started on a disappointing note for Rohit Sharma’s fans as the skipper fell after scoring a boundary, caught by his opposite number Carlos Brathwaite off Kemo Paul’s bowling.
He started the innings 69 runs short of overhauling New Zealand’s Martin Guptill as the highest run-maker in T20 Internationals but the in-form Mumbai batsman exited in the third over.
The stylish K L Rahul, who came in at the fall of his skipper’s wicket, hit four boundaries in his brief stay, before nicking one from the pacer Oshane Thomas to the wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.
Dhawan and Pant then joined hands and dominated the West Indies attack which seemed clueless as to how to stop the flow of runs. Both went on the rampage and none of the bowlers could provide a breakthrough.
Pant, who reached his 50 in 30 balls became the second youngest Indian to score a T20I fifty at 21 years and 38 days. Skipper Rohit Sharma at 20 years and 143 days holds the record.
The dashing Pant hit some audacious shots and hoisted three sixes in his attacking half-century before being bowled by Paul in the 19th over.
Dhawan seemed to have regained his touch ahead of the tour of Australia as he flayed the bowlers all round the park and fell when one run was required for a win.
He clubbed a ball from spinner Allen straight down the throat of Kieron Pollard at long-on.
Paul was the most successful West Indies bowler with 2 for 32 while Thomas and Allen took a wicket each. (PTI)
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