WI vs IND 2022: 3 Indian players who made full use of the opportunity given to them in the ODI series

A jubilant Indian squad after their ODI series win against West Indies (Source: BCCI/Twitter)

Following an all-format tour of England, a second-string Indian unit took the field for a three-match ODI series against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Led by Shikhar Dhawan, the young Indian brigade put in some stellar performances and wrote their names in the history books by whitewashing the West Indies for the very first time away from home in ODIs.

Although the scoreline read 3-0, it wasn't a cakewalk for the tourists. The Windies gave the visitors a serious fight in the first two games, taking them to the last over.

The Men in Blue found new heroes emerging to guide them home on both occasions. They eventually capped off the series with a dominant showing in the third ODI, winning the game by a huge margin of 119 runs on Wednesday (July 27).

On that note, let's take a look at the three Indian players who did wonderfully well and made full use of the opportunities given to them in the series.

#3 Axar Patel

Character, Conviction and Belief. 💪
Happy to contribute for my team. Onwards and Upwards. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/dhAl0VvfJD

Had Ravindra Jadeja not been ruled out due to his knee injury, Axar Patel might not have featured in the ODI series.

With enough IPL and international cricket under his belt, Axar cashed in on the opportunity and staked his claim as an effective spin-bowling all-rounder for India in ODIs.

While he picked up two wickets with the ball in the series at an economy of 5.5, it was with the willow that he prospered in the Caribbean. He scored 85 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 151.7 – the highest strike rate in the series.

The highlight of the series for Axar came when he proved to be India's match-winner in the second ODI. Coming in to bat at No. 7 after India lost their two key batters Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson in quick succession, Axar performed exceedingly well under pressure.

His blistering 35-ball 64 snatched India a victory from the jaws of defeat. The left-hander smashed three fours and five maximums, including the winning six off the fourth ball of the last over.

#2 Mohammed Siraj

☝️ Kyle Mayers
☝️ Shamarh Brooks

What a brilliant first over for Mohammed Siraj 🔥🇮🇳

📷 - Getty images

#mohammedsiraj #India #WIvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/zU0geptRBB

Mohammed Siraj shone with the ball in Trinidad following a good performance against England in the third ODI. With senior pros Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami not featuring, Siraj showed the hallmark of a true leader as he led India's bowling pack in all three games.

Whether it was with the new ball or during the death overs, Siraj was one of the most effective bowlers. Right from the first match, he bowled with an aggressive mindset, putting the opposition batters under pressure. In the first ODI, he picked up two wickets and put in an even more spectacular performance in the death overs of the innings.

Tasked with defending 15 runs against a dangerous-looking Romario Shepherd in the last over of the game, Siraj rescued his team from a possible defeat and won them the game by three runs.

While he didn't pick up any wickets in the second ODI, Siraj was economical in his ten overs, giving away just 47 runs. The Hyderabadi speedster was back among wickets in the rain-affected third ODI. He put West Indies on the backfoot by dismissing two in-form batters in Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks inside three deliveries.

Like red-ball cricket, Siraj could be India's third-best seamer after Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami in ODI cricket as well.

#1. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was awarded the player of the match and also the player of the series for his exceptional batting performance in the ODI series 👏🇮🇳

#ShubmanGill #IndianCricketTeam #WIvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/HIl1tgHbp7

Shubman Gill was given the nod ahead of Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad to open the innings for his team in Trinidad. While Gill is the preferred opener after Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in Test matches, limited-overs cricket was a difficult question for him as he had played only three ODIs in two years prior to this series.

Thanks to his immaculate performances and flamboyance, the talented youngster has made a place for himself in India's white-ball setup going forward. While opening the innings alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Gill provided India with express starts in all three games and dominated the Caribbean bowlers throughout.

A player who arguably possesses almost every shot in the book, Gill started the tour with a pleasing 64 off 53 balls. He stitched together a 119-run partnership with Dhawan in that game. He looked just as impressive in the subsequent game, but couldn't convert his start and was dismissed for 43.

He had his A-game reserved for the third ODI, where he constructed another well-paced innings coupled with some elegant strokeplay. Gill, however, fell agonizingly short of a much-deserved maiden international ton when a rain break forced him to remain unbeaten on 98.

The right-handed batter looked fluent against both pace and spin and amassed 205 runs at a fabulous average of 102.5. Incidentally, his strike rate in the series was also 102.5.