Shikhar Dhawan said in the post-match presentation that his team kept their cool in crunch situations in the first ODI against West Indies. Dhawan scored a tremendous 97 against the West Indies pace attack on Friday. His sensational knock helped India reach a total of 308 runs at the end of the first innings.
And they won the first ODI against the hosts by just three runs. The win came only on the last ball when Siraj successfully defended 5 runs. The match was well poised halfway through the second innings. The Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan opined that the team kept their cool as planned.
“We kept our cool, and one small change in the end where we pushed the fine leg back, and that really helped us. The discussion was to use the bigger side as much as we can and we want to keep on learning and make ourselves better for the rest of the competition,” Dhawan said. He added that he wanted to continue the momentum going forward.
Dhawan was disappointed to miss his 100. But he admitted that the bowlers took them home.
“Disappointed not to get the 100, but it was a good effort by the team. We got a good score in the end. There were nerves in the end, and didn’t expect it to turn that way,” he said. Siraj did extremely well for India with his spell. The young pacer successfully defended 15 runs of the last over.
Indian spinner, Yuvendra Chahal praised Siraj in the post-match press conference for the latter’s agility. And many former cricketers have come forward in appreciating the young pacer. Skipper Dhawan was no exception and he heaped praise on Siraj too.
India will play their second ODI at the same venue on July 24. It is up to the Men in Blue to seal the series from here. The Men in Maroon will be hoping to make up for the loss.
