With an aim to register a whitewash series win, India will square off against West Indies in the 3rd and the final ODI of the series in Trinidad on Wednesday (July 27). The fixture will kick off at 7:00 PM IST at Queen’s Park Oval. With wins in the first two matches, the visitors have gained an unassailable lead. Should India emerge victorious in the 3rd ODI, they will register a clean sweep win.
If this happens, Shikhar Dhawan will become the first-ever Indian captain with a whitewash series win over WI at their home. As many as four other captains have led India to ODI series wins in WI but never have the visitors whitewashed the Men in Maroon.
Back in 2002, Sourav Ganguly became the first Indian captain with a series win there. Following him, the likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli (twice) propelled India to a series win. Dhawan has already joined this elite list but is on the cusp of history too.
Dhawan is leading the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The regular captain has been rested for the ODI leg of the series. Rohit and other first-choice players (Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya) have landed in West Indies and will be available from the first T20I, to be played on July 29. Dinesh Karthik has also joined the team. Dhawan isn’t part of the T20I side since 2021 and will return home.
The five T20Is of the series are scheduled to be played on July 29, August 1, 2, 6 and 7. The last two T20Is of the series will be played in USA. After the 3rd ODI, India will next play a 50-over game against Zimbabwe next month. Dhawan might again lead the side if KL Rahul is unavailable for selection.
