Key takeaways from Indian team's T20I series win over WI

The convincing series win by the Indian team in the T20I series over West Indies showed five positive changes as the ICC T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia, draws near. The 3-0 clean sweep worked as a morale booster after a tough series against an inexperienced South African side.

Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, and Harshal Patel performed exceptionally well in the absence of some key senior players. Their success added to India's joy after a difficult tour of South Africa and controversy over Virat Kohli's departure as captain from all formats.

As the Indian team now move ahead to their next series, against Sri Lanka, let’s take a look at the five of the biggest positives to emerge from Team India's emphatic win over the Caribbean side.

5 key takeaways for Indian team from T20I series win over West Indies

#Harshal Patel's death over bowling

While the Indian team is blessed with quality pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, there is still a need for a death overs specialist in the T20 format. Somebody was needed to provide support to Jasprit Bumrah.

Harshal Patel seems to fit the bill perfectly in this case. In the series against the West Indies, he took five wickets at an economy rate of 8.75. Though the latter statistic needs improvement, the team management can be lenient at the moment considering his inexperience. His use of slower deliveries under pressure in the last over of the second match showed he has the nerve to perform this difficult role.

#Spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal

In last year's IPL, fans were awestruck to see Ravi Bishoni outfoxing some of the big names in the cricket world with his lethal leg spin. Seeing him bowl with Yuzvendra Chahal appeared as an exciting prospect at that time.

When he finally made his international debut, the leggie did not disappoint. A good bowling partnership was formed instantly between Bishnoi and Chahal. The West Indian team found it tough to escape the stranglehold put on by the spin duo in the middle overs.

In the two matches where they played together, the duo bowled 16 overs together. In these 16 overs, they took five wickets between themselves for 112 runs and had an economy rate of 7. Having quality spinners like Kuldeep Yadav, Yuvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravi Bishnoi will give the enviable problem of plenty to the Indian team management.

Venkatesh Iyer played the finisher role well for the Indian team against West Indies

#Ideal finishers in Suryakumar Yadav and Vekatesh Iyer

Team India has been searching for an efficient finisher since the retirement of MS Dhoni. Hardik Pandya was good at the job for some time but his injury problems kept him out of action for a sustained period.

The series against West Indies saw Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer playing the finisher's role to perfection. In the first game, India suffered some hiccups during their chase of a modest 157.

The talented duo of Yadav and Iyer then put together a quick-fire partnership of 48 from 26 balls to rescue the team. In the third match, when the duo started batting together, the home team badly needed some momentum in their innings. The two talented youngsters stitched together a partnership of 91 from 37 deliveries and took Team India's total beyond 180.

The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma make the Indian team good at chasing

#No longer good at chasing only

A team that wants to win a big tournament like the ICC T20 World Cup cannot be good only when batting second. The side must be capable of both defending and chasing a target.

Captain Rohit Sharma's words in one of the post-match presentation ceremonies echoed this reality. “The team that used to chase, there are not many people here from that squad. We wanted to bat first and chase as well," he had stated.

India successfully defended a target twice in this three-match series. This suggests they are comfortable in this role also. This is a good sign for the times to come.

Rohit Sharma trying to keep the ball dry for his bowlers during the series against West Indies

#Rohit Sharma's captaincy

Rohit Sharma's leadership brings a breath of fresh air to the Indian team. He is energetic and astute. Winning the series with a bunch of youngsters proves his mettle as a good captain. His field settings and bowling changes were often successful in breaking crucial partnerships.

By allowing Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl his four overs very early in the second match, Rohit gave his spinner a cushion of runs. The spinners would have struggled with the heavy dew later. The positive body language of the entire Indian team shows that the side is moving in the right direction ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.