- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA led by Shikhar Dhawan have clinched the three-match one-day international (ODI) series against the West Indies in their den by winning the first two games — both of which were thrillers.
The two teams will now play the third and final ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday (27) but while the match will be of academic interest, the Men in Blue will have an extra incentive to play it since it gives them the first-ever opportunity to clean-sweep a ODI series in the Caribbeans.
It was only earlier this year that India beat the West Indies 3-0 in a three-game series at home. Now, they will be looking to replicate the same in an away series. India played their first-ever bilateral ODI series in the West Indies in 1983, the year they beat the Caribbean side in the final of the World Cup.
If India can win the third match, it will be their 13th clean sweep in a ODI series overall and the first away series whitewash apart from Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. India have won all matches of an ODI series in Zimbabwe three times (2013, 2015 and 2016) and once in Sri Lanka (2017).
The victory in the ongoing ODI series means India now have 12 consecutive series wins over the West Indies in the 50-over format — the most against a team. The last time the West Indies beat India in a ODI series at home was in 2006 when they won 4-1.
Beating the West Indies 3-0 will also mean India will achieve the record of whitewashing the same opponent twice in a calendar year. Only two teams have done this before — Zimbabwe who beat Bangladesh 4-0 at home and 3-0 in Kenya in 2001 and Bangladesh who beat Kenya 3-0 both at home and away in 2006.
