India hold their nerve to deny fighting Windies in high-scoring thriller
Key Points(5)
- West Indies mounted another spirited run chase but could not reproduce their record-breaking heroics from Friday, falling 14 runs short of India’s imposing total in the third Twenty20 International (T20I) at Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
- A blistering 69 from Abhishek Sharma and valuable contributions from India’s middle and lower order carried the hosts to 223 in 20 overs before disciplined bowling, led by Player of the Match Arshdeep Singh, restricted the visitors to 209 for seven.
- The victory gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and put them within one win of clinching the contest ahead of Wednesday’s fourth T20I in Hyderabad.
- Sharma sets the pace as India race ahead India’s innings began explosively despite the early dismissal of Sanju Samson for three.
- Sharma and Ishan Kishan immediately attacked the West Indies bowling, transforming the power play into a punishing assault that yielded 87 runs in the opening six overs.
West Indies mounted another spirited run chase but could not reproduce their record-breaking heroics from Friday, falling 14 runs short of India’s imposing total in the third Twenty20 International (T20I) at Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
A blistering 69 from Abhishek Sharma and valuable contributions from India’s middle and lower order carried the hosts to 223 in 20 overs before disciplined bowling, led by Player of the Match Arshdeep Singh, restricted the visitors to 209 for seven.
The victory gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and put them within one win of clinching the contest ahead of Wednesday’s fourth T20I in Hyderabad.
Sharma sets the pace as India race ahead
India’s innings began explosively despite the early dismissal of Sanju Samson for three. Sharma and Ishan Kishan immediately attacked the West Indies bowling, transforming the power play into a punishing assault that yielded 87 runs in the opening six overs.
Sharma was particularly destructive, reaching his half-century from just 18 deliveries with five fours and four sixes as India briefly scored at more than 14 runs per over.
The West Indies desperately needed a breakthrough, and Roston Chase provided it in the ninth over when he stumped Kishan for 37 off 18 balls, ending a dangerous partnership with the score at 115 for two.
Chase struck again just three deliveries later, trapping India captain Shreyas Iyer lbw for one to leave the hosts momentarily unsettled.
The momentum swung further in the visitors’ favor when medium pacer Shamar Springer caught and bowled Sharma, while Gudakesh Motie dismissed Naman Dhir, who struck the spinner into the hands of the long-off fielder.
India had slumped to 135 for five in the 11th over, giving West Indies a genuine opportunity to restrict the hosts to a manageable total.
Middle order rescues India
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, India found enough firepower to recover from their mid-innings collapse.
Tilak Varma contributed 28, Nitish Kumar Reddy added 21, and Axar Patel chipped in with 20 as the hosts rebuilt their innings and maintained the pressure on the West Indies bowlers.
Prince Yadav provided a final burst, smashing an unbeaten 13 from just six deliveries to push India to 223, a total that demanded another exceptional batting effort from the visitors.
Chase finished as West Indies’ leading bowler with two wickets for 38 runs. Springer claimed two for 50, while Shamar Joseph also took two wickets, conceding 54 runs.
Hetmyer leads the fightback
West Indies’ pursuit suffered an early blow when Arshdeep Singh bowled captain Shai Hope with only seven runs on the scoreboard.
Shimron Hetmyer, however, responded aggressively, combining with Kamil Pooran to add 60 runs for the second wicket and revive the chase.
The partnership lifted West Indies to 67 for one before India regained control through two important dismissals.
Hetmyer had made a brisk 43 from 26 deliveries when Dhir bowled him off his pads. Axar Patel then removed Rovman Powell for five, caught at long off, leaving the visitors struggling at 82 for three in the 10th over.
With wickets falling and the required rate climbing, West Indies increasingly faced the challenge of finding boundaries against an Indian attack that had tightened its grip on the contest.
The asking rate eventually reached 15 runs per over, leaving the visitors with little room for error.
Singh delivers the decisive blows
Sherfane Rutherford attempted to keep the chase alive with 32 from 25 balls, but Singh intervened at a crucial stage, bowling the left-hander before also accounting for Keemo Paul.
Those strikes severely damaged West Indies’ hopes of completing the chase, although Springer produced a spectacular late assault to give the visitors a final glimpse of possibility.
Springer smashed an unbeaten 35 from just 11 deliveries, including a remarkable 22 runs in the final over. West Indies entered that over needing 36 runs to force a Super Over, but the late fireworks could not bridge the gap.
India held on to win by 14 runs, with Singh finishing with three wickets for 44 runs and Dhir supporting him with two for 39.
The result marked the first time in the series that the team batting first had won, ending West Indies’ hopes of taking the advantage after Friday’s record-breaking chase.
India now have the opportunity to settle the series in Hyderabad on Wednesday, while West Indies must respond with a victory in the fourth match to keep the five-match contest alive.
