Arshdeep, Abhishek shine as India take 2-1 series lead

For once on this tour, the bowlers were not simply there to be hit. In the third Twenty20 International in Indore, India defended 223 to defeat West Indies by 14 runs and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. This was the first time any team on this tour had won batting first.

Before a disciplined bowling effort led by Arshdeep Singh's 3 for 44 held West Indies to 209/7, Abhishek Sharma's 30-ball 69 and his whirlwind 108-run stand with Ishan Kishan off just 40 deliveries contributed to the strong total.

The entire evening seemed to point to another successful chase. With targets of 406 and 250, the chasing team had won all three ODIs and both T20Is thus far, and the Holkar Stadium's square boundaries measured only 63 meters. WI captain Shai Hope joked at the toss, "We all know what I'm going to do." He chose to bowl again, but the dew that had soaked Ranchi never really arrived in Indore.

India got off to a quiet start when they were given the bat once more, scoring no runs in the first two overs. After mistiming Shamar Joseph's 150 kph full ball to midwicket, Sanju Samson fell for 3, Hope replaced Joseph, and India pounced on everyone thereafter. While Kishan greeted Keemo Paul with three fours, Abhishek, who had been cautious against Roston Chase's first over, took him for a four and two sixes in the third.

India had all the momentum on their side when Joseph returned. India finished the Powerplay at 87/1 after Abhishek scored a fifty off 18 balls in a sixth over with 21 runs. Abhishek and Kishan's 108 runs for the second wicket came at 16.2 runs per over, making it the fastest century partnership India has ever made in T20Is.

Once again, it was Chase who dragged West Indies back. He had the big-hitting Kishan stumped with a flatter, wider ball in the ninth over, one ball after it had been hit for six. Shreyas Iyer was lbw for one after missing a slog three balls later in the same over. In the following over, Abhishek top-edged a straight-up pull, allowing Shamar Springer to catch a return catch. India had lost three wickets for nine runs in ten balls, and that was that. They were at 135/5 when Naman Dhir holed out to long-off after crashing Gudakesh Motie onto the top-tier hoarding.

India's innings from that point on consisted of several starts. Nitish slid a harmless ball into Hope's gloves after timing the ball perfectly for his 21. The strangest thing that happened that night was when Tilak Varma and Axar Patel thought the ball had reached the boundary and met in the middle of the pitch to punch each other's gloves. However, Kamil Pooran hit back and ran Tilak out for 28. Two overs later, when Axar was left stranded, India lost another wicket to a run out. They reached 223, thanks to Prince Yadav's three fours in the final over, one of which was a scoop over Hope's head.

Abhishek said during the innings break that hitting straight was hard on this surface, so the best strategy was to bowl lengths that the batters had to wait for. India's bowlers followed that to the letter. They started at a fast pace with six overs, and Mayank Yadav started things off with a two-run first over. Arshdeep broke through Hope's defenses and gained some ground on the right-handers, resulting in the major victory.

Abhishek dropped Shimron Hetmyer on 5 at short third man. He took Arshdeep for 19 in the fourth over and raced to 43 off 26 before Naman bowled him after he was hit with a six.

After the Powerplay, West Indies were 54/1, a long way behind India's 87/1, and Pooran was also having trouble timing the ball at the other end. Rovman Powell came down the track to Axar and sliced a catch to sweeper cover under the pressure. In the eleventh over, Pooran finally found his range with three sixes off Naman, but when he tried for a fourth, he caught Arshdeep in the deep for 42.

That left too much for Sherfane Rutherford, who had smashed Indian bowlers all over the park in Ranchi. He and Quentin Sampson increased it by 46, but the required rate continued to rise.

Nitish bowled out Sampson, and with 65 runs needed off 24, Arshdeep came back and took Paul and Rutherford out in one over to win the game. Springer hit three sixes off Axar Patel in the final over, but with 37 needed off six balls, the effort was insufficient in the end.