By India Today Sports Desk: India players were greeted by two special locals as the team arrived at their team hotel in Trinidad on Monday ahead of the 3rd and final ODI of a 3-match series against the West Indies. Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and his young son were at the team hotel to meet and greet the India players.
All the India players, including captain Rohit Sharma, spent time with Dwayne Bravo and his son. The West Indies all-rounder’s gesture won hearts on social media as the all-rounder, who recently featured in the inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket for Texas Super Kings, took time out of his schedule after returning from the US to meet the India players.
In a video shared by the BCCI, Bravo can be seen wearing a cream-coloured t-shirt as he spends time with India players. Bravo was delighted to meet his former Chennai Super Kings teammates Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Incidentally, the video did not feature Virat Kohli, who arrived late in Trinidad ahead of the 3rd ODI.
The ongoing three-match ODI series between India and the West Indies has been a thrilling spectacle so far. The first match, held at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, saw India clinch a victory by five wickets. The West Indies were bundled out for a meager 114 runs in just 23 overs, with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja taking four and three wickets respectively. India’s response was led by Ishan Kishan, who scored a half-century, and Rohit Sharma, who came in at No.7 to finish the job. Despite some hiccups, India reached the target in 22.5 overs, securing their win.
However, the second ODI witnessed a dramatic turnaround. India decided to rest their star players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as part of an experimental strategy ahead of the Asia Cup.
This decision was defended by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who stated that this series was the only opportunity for the team to try out new combinations. Unfortunately, this experiment did not yield the desired results, as the West Indies beat India by six wickets. Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd took three wickets each, while Alzarri Joseph picked up two, effectively dismantling the Indian batting line-up.
The series is now evenly poised with one win each for India and the West Indies. The final match will be the decider, and it remains to be seen whether India will bring back their rested players or continue with their experimental approach.
