Out-of-form opener will be hoping for a good outing in the final one-dayer as India eye series win over West Indies
Shikhar Dhawan faced four consecutive failures in the series
Port-of-Spain: Opener Shikhar Dhawan would be desperate for a big knock after four consecutive failures as India eye another series victory when they clash with the West Indies in the third and final ODI here today.
With scores of 1, 23, 3 in the T20 series and single-digit score of 2 in the second ODI, Dhawan's comeback post injury has been far from ideal.
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Troubled by in-coming deliveries, twice Dhawan lost his wicket to pacer Sheldon Cottrell.
Since Dhawan is not part of the Test squad, the Delhi left-hander would like to finish the Caribbean assignment on a high.
There is another mini-battle brewing in the Indian batting line up for the No. 4 slot with Shreyas Iyer putting tremendous pressure on Rishabh Pant.
Pant has enjoyed the backing of the team management, especially skipper Virat Kohli but his repeated failures and Iyer's 68-ball 71-run knock in the second ODI has made things different.
Pant's temperament is a cause of concern as he threw away his wicket on numerous occasions. Any team would prefer a level-headed batsman for that crucial position and by his knock on Sunday, Iyer has made a strong case for himself.
Even legendary Sunil Gavaskar has vouched for Iyer for the No. 4 slot. He wants Pant to drop down to No. 5 as he feels the wicketkeeper batsman is best suited to provide the late impetus. Elsewhere on the batting front, Kohli would look to carry on with his good batting form after hitting a brilliant 120 off 125 balls in the second ODI.
West Indies, on the other hand, would be desperate to save the series with a win.
But for that to happen, West Indies's batting unit will have to take more responsibility. It's time talents like Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran rise up to the occasion for West Indies cricket to thrive.
Team manager set to be reprimanded
New Delhi: The Indian cricket team's administrative manager Sunil Subramanium's is set to be severely reprimanded by the BCCI for allegedly misbehaving with officials of the country's High Commissions in the West Indies during the ongoing series. Subramanium, who got a 45-day extension along with Ravi Shastri-led support staff is unlikely to be retained after the Caribbean series once the fresh round of interviews are conducted.
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