India registered a thumping win over West Indies by 200 runs in the third and the final ODI of series at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba in Trinidad to clinch the series 2-1. While the Men in Blue had failed to play as per expectation in the second ODI with their batters failing big time, in the final ODI they made amends and got back on track, flexing their batting muscle and going on to post a formidable 351/5 in their 20 overs. Shubman Gill lead the show with the bat and top-scored with 85 off 92, laying a solid foundation along with Ishan Kishan (77) who scored his third successive fifty in the series.
However, it was half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya too which played an instrumental role in taking India past the 350-run mark. Samson, came in to bat at number 4, eventually got out for 51 off 41 while stand-in captain Hardik remained unbeaten on 70 off 52 deliveries. Post his knock, Samson gave an on-field interview during which he briefly shed light upon his career.
"Being an Indian cricketer is challenging, I have played domestic cricket for the last 8-9 years and for India, here and there, so it gives you a bit of understanding of playing in different positions. It is the number of overs you get and it is not about batting position so you have to prepare accordingly," Samson told the host broadcasters during the mid-innings break.
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"It feels really great to spend some time in the middle, score some runs and contribute for your country. I had different plans for different players, I wanted to use my feet and dominate the lengths of the bowlers," he added.
Samson was in India's XI even in the second ODI where he had come in to bat at number 3. However, he failed to leave an impact, getting out for 9 off 19 as India were bowled out for 181, eventually losing the match by 6 wickets.l