India successfully defended a total of 223 in the third T20I at Indore, defeating the West Indies by 14 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. This match marked the first occasion on the tour where the team batting first emerged victorious, effectively halting a dominant streak where chasing sides had won all three preceding ODIs and both earlier T20Is.
Abhishek Sharma provided the offensive engine for the hosts, smashing 69 runs off just 30 deliveries. His partnership with Ishan Kishan, who contributed 37, yielded 108 runs in a blistering 40-ball stand. This performance, which featured a run rate of 16.2 during the partnership, stands as India’s fastest-ever century stand in T20I cricket. India reached 87/1 at the end of the powerplay after recovering from the early loss of Sanju Samson for 3. Mistiming a 150kph full ball from Shamar Joseph to mid-wicket, before Hope took Joseph off and India pounced on everyone from then on, sanju Samson fell for 3. And India finished the Powerplay at 87/1, abhishek reached an 18-ball fifty in a 21-run sixth over.
The momentum shifted briefly when Roston Chase dismissed both Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in the ninth over. Further collapses followed, with Abhishek falling in the tenth over and Naman Dhir departing shortly after. India slipped to 135/5, eventually reaching 223 thanks to contributions from the lower order and a late cameo by Prince Yadav. The innings also featured a bizarre dismissal where Tilak Varma was run out for 28 after misjudging a boundary, followed by Axar Patel being run out later. Everything about the evening pointed towards another successful chase. Three balls later in the same over, Shreyas Iyer missed a slog and was lbw for 1.
Facing a massive target at the Holkar Stadium, where the square boundaries measured just 63 meters, the West Indies struggled to maintain the required pace. Despite captain Shai Hope’s confidence at the toss regarding the team’s chasing ability, the expected dew failed to materialize. Mayank Yadav opened with a disciplined two-run over, setting a tone that Arshdeep Singh and his colleagues maintained throughout the innings. With targets of 406 and 250 among them, and the Holkar Stadium’s square boundaries measured just 63 metres. “We all know what I’m going to do,” WI captain Shai Hope quipped at the toss, choosing to bowl again, but the dew that had soaked Ranchi never really arrived in Indore, the chasing side had won all three ODIs and both T20Is so far.
Arshdeep Singh led the bowling effort with figures of 3 for 44. He claimed the critical wicket of Hope early on and returned late in the game to remove Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, effectively securing the result. Shimron Hetmyer scored 43 and Kamil Pooran added 42, but both were removed at crucial stages as the required run rate climbed out of reach. Rovman Powell also fell to Axar Patel, and although Shamar Springer attempted to rally with an unbeaten 35, the pressure proved too high.
In the final analysis, West Indies finished at 209/7, falling 14 runs short. The match concluded with India’s bowling unit successfully stifling the visitors’ attempts to repeat previous high-scoring chases. Final scores recorded India at 223 in 20 overs, with contributions from Abhishek Sharma (69) and Kishan (37) supported by bowlers Arshdeep (3-44) and Naman Dhir (2-39), successfully countering West Indies’ efforts led by Chase (2-38), Springer (2-50), and Joseph (2-54). The bowlers were not simply there to be hit, for once on this tour.
