Ace batter and southpaw Abhishek Sharma shone through with a brilliant half-century, while Ishan Kishan gave him good company and the others chipped in here and there as India huffed and puffed their way to 223 in 20 overs. This was still a good score in Indore, but not necessarily a match-winning score on the board.
In reply, West Indies tried their hearts out, but it was Arshdeep Singh with his 3-wicket haul and Naman Dhir’s crucial double strike that meant that India kept the West Indies under check. The visitors fought hard and kept the score to around 209/7, but it was still short of the 223 made by India as the Men in Blue won the contest by 14 runs to go 2-1 up in the series.
Abhishek Sharma’s blazing half-century powers India to a competitive 223 in 20 overs
Put into bat first, keeper-batter Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma came out to open the batting for India while Roston Chase had the ball in hand for the West Indies. West Indies began in a disciplined way as the opening pair could muster only 7 runs in 10 balls before Sanju fell for 3 off 6 balls to Shamar Joseph. Ishan Kishan came out to bat next.
The duo of Abhishek and Ishan started to go on overdrive from the get-go and took the attack to the West Indies. India, after a sedate first two overs, got on the move as they aced the powerplay. Abhishek was the aggressor while Ishan gave him good company as well, and the two southpaws were all over the West Indies. The duo took India to 87/1 after the power play, and India looked set for a huge score at this stage.
The duo were going all guns blazing as the 100 came up inside 8 overs. They put on 108 runs off just 40 balls and took the score to 115 before Ishan fell for 37 off 18 balls with 6 fours and one six to his name to Roston Chase. Captain Shreyas Iyer came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Chase had two wickets in three balls as Iyer fell for 1 off 2 balls. Tilak Varma came out to bat next.
Abhishek and Tilak could add just 7 runs for the 4th wicket before the set batter Abhishek fell for 69 off 30 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes to his name to Shamar Springer. Naman Dhir came out to bat next. Tilak and Naman tried to forge a partnership and could add 11 runs for the 5th wicket before Naman fell for 10 off 5 balls with one six to his name to Gudakesh Motie.
Nitish Kumar Reddy came out to bat next as India were losing their way in this middle phase of the game. Tilak and Nitish got together and forged some sort of a partnership. The duo added 34 runs for the 6th wicket to stabilise India before Nitish fell after a cameo as he made 21 off 14 balls with 3 fours to his name to Keemo Paul. Axar Patel joined Tilak Varma in the middle.
Tilak and Axar were the last recognised pair and took their time in building a partnership and put India ahead. The duo added 25 runs for the 7th wicket before Tilak was run out for 28 off 16 balls with 4 fours to his name, as silly cricket by the two batters saw Tilak being run out. Arshdeep Singh came out to bat next. The duo took the team total past 200 and added 8 runs for the 8th wicket before Axar, the last recognised batter, was run out for 20 off 14 balls with 2 fours to his name thanks to silly cricket yet again.
Prince Yadav came out to bat next. Arshdeep managed to hit a maximum and added 8 runs for the 9th wicket before he was trapped LBW for 11 off 8 balls with one six to his name to Springer. Mayank Yadav came out to bat with an over to spare. Prince added a priceless 13 runs off the final over that was bowled in the innings. The duo added 13 off 6 balls before Mayank fell for a golden duck to Shamar Joseph. Prince remained unbeaten on 13 off 6 balls with 3 fours to his name as India finished with a respectable 223 in 20 overs. 10 extras were conceded by the West Indies team.
West Indies bowlers came back well with the ball in hand. Roston Chase was the pick of the bowlers once again with figures of 2/38 in 4 overs. Shamar Springer finished with 2/50 in 4 overs. Shamar Joseph finished with 2/54 in 4 overs. Keemo Paul finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Gudakesh Motie finished with 1/37 in 4 overs. There were two run-outs in the innings as well. This meant that West Indies needed 224 runs to win off 20 overs to take a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series.
Arshdeep Singh’s 3-wicket haul helps India win and take a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series
Chasing 224 for the win and a 2-1 series lead, captain and keeper Shai Hope and Kamil Pooran came out to open the batting for the West Indies while Mayank Yadav had the new ball in hand for India. The opening combination put on just 7 runs for the first wicket before the big fish fell as Hope fell for 5 off 5 balls with one four to his name to Arshdeep Singh, who cleaned him up.
Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat next. Hetmyer, while batting on 5*, was dropped by Abhishek Sharma off Prince Yadav, and Hetmyer was ready to make India pay big time. Pooran was going at a run a ball in the powerplay, but he later upped the ante. The duo took West Indies to 54/1 in 6 overs of the powerplay. The duo continued their merry ways in the middle phase as well.
Hetmyer was taking the attack to India as he added exactly 60 runs for the second wicket before he fell for 43 off 26 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Naman Dhir, who cleaned him up. Rovman Powell came out to bat next. The duo added 15 runs for the third wicket before Powell fell for 5 off 7 balls to Axar Patel. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next.
Kamil Pooran opened up post the Drinks Break, and Rutherford played well as the duo added 23 runs for the 4th wicket to take the score past 100 runs before Kamil fell for 42 off 27 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Naman Dhir. Quentin Sampson came out to bat next. Sampson and Rutherford added 46 crucial runs for the 5th wicket and took the score beyond 150 before Sampson fell for 21off 15 balls with one four and one six to his name to Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Keemo Paul came out to bat next. Paul played his shots while Rutherford was there at the other end. The duo added 18 runs for the 6th wicket before Paul fell for 10 off 6 balls with one six to his name to Arshdeep Singh. Shamar Springer came out to bat next. Just 5 runs were added to the total before Rutherford, the set batter, fell for 32 off 20 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Arshdeep. Roston Chase came out to bat next.
Springer and Chase then had fun, with Springer in particular using the long handle. The duo tried to take West Indies forward. The duo of Springer and Chase stayed unbeaten, with Springer having some fun out there. Some lusty blows were hit. The duo added 35 unbeaten runs off 13 balls and took West Indies beyond 200 runs. But it was not enough in the end. Springer finished unbeaten on 35 off 11 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name, while Chase was unbeaten on 5 off 4 balls. West Indies finished with 209/7 in 20 overs, losing the match by 14 runs. 11 extras were given by the fielding side.
Indian bowlers bowled decently out there. Arshdeep Singh finished with 3/44 in 4 overs. Naman Dhir pinched in with 2/39 in 3 overs. Axar Patel finished with 1/33 in 3 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy finished with 1/19 in 2 overs. Mayank Yadav finished with 0/34 in 4 overs. Prince Yadav finished with 0/37 in 4 overs. This meant that India won the contest by 14 runs. Arshdeep Singh was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
So, India go 2-1 up in the 5-match series with 2 games to spare. The next T20I, which is the 4th of the series, will take place in Hyderabad on Wednesday, 14th October, 2026, from 7 PM IST onwards. India will aim to seal the series there with a game to spare. West Indies will aim to level the series 2-2. Which team will come out on top?
Only time will tell. This will be another cracking game in Hyderabad.
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