A lot of questions were asked as to who would take the slot of the second opener along with Shikhar Dhawan. India had to choose from the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill. Ultimately, the young Punjab batter was given the nod and boy he did not disappoint. He was positive from the outset in both the one-days, giving India a brisk start, giving Dhawan enough time to build his innings. He had scores of 64 and 43 in the games, and the only thing he’d be bothered by is that he wasn’t able to convert both those knocks into big innings. But he should look back at these performances as a job well done, with onus on getting those big innings sooner rather than later.

With a rather poor showing in England with the bat, there were a number of whispers across whether Shikhar Dhawan’s time in India colours is coming to an end or no. This was a chance to quieten those murmurs before they turned into shouts. And Dhawan went about doing just that. The veteran was not concerned about the lean scores and the murmurs, and went about doing his job in his trademark way. After riding the initial phase in the first game, he settled down and played the way he normally does, mixing caution with aggression. He switched gears after crossing 50, and was looking all set to get that 100 until he was dismissed on 97. That performance was enough to give India the impetus to reach 305, and also got him the player of the match award in the first game as well. There is life in the old dog just yet.

Another batsman who needed a couple of good performances under his belt after all that barrage of short-ball mayhem he endured in England. Coming in at number 3 both times, Iyer went about his innings with consummate ease, and did not look like a fish out of water in both his innings with the bat. While he was still a little iffy with the short ball, as made evident in the second game, he decided to tackle it head-on, and did not jump and duck as he did on English shores. With 50s in both the matches, the second one in particular setting up the run-chase nicely, Iyer has made himself a rather viable option for that number 3 slot in the games to come.

For many of the experts and the people watching the game, this felt like the last chance salon for Sanju Samson. While his talent and quality was never in question, it was his temperament that was always questioned. Will he be able to put in a meaningful run of performances if and when given a chance. And while he failed in the first game, he took that opportunity in the second game, where he joined hands with Shreyas Iyer and stitched together a 99-run alliance which gave India enough wiggle room to complete the chase. He also went about his way to a well-deserved half-century. Performances like these go a long way in ensuring that Samson is in the reckoning for a spot in the side.

Axar Patel walked in on the pitch with the game at a rather precarious position for the visitors. They were not out of the woods yet and needed another 100 runs in 60 balls, with only the tail to follow. Not many really fancied Axar to mount a charge against the Windies bowling attack, who had their noses in front. Except, he did. The left handed mounted a rather brutal assault on the bowling, taking each and every bowler on. He went on to score the fastest fifty by an Indian against the West Indies, and sealed the series with a huge six off Kyle Mayers. He also has a role with the ball, with a return of 1-40 in his 10 overs, he ensured that the West Indies batters could not flex their arms and put an even bigger target in the board. A complete all-round performance by Axar.