Shillong: India surged to a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20 series on Sunday. They edged out the West Indies by 14 runs in Indore. Abhishek Sharma led the charge with a blistering 69 off just 30 balls. He hammered five fours and six sixes.
India looked ready to smash 250 runs. Abhishek teamed up with Ishan Kishan for a 108-run partnership off 40 balls. Kishan added 37 off 18 deliveries before Roston Chase struck. Chase took 2/38, dismissing Kishan via a sharp stumping from Shai Hope and trapping Shreyas Iyer leg before wicket for one.
The innings stalled after Abhishek miscued a Shamar Springer delivery. Naman Dhir fell for 10. Tilak Varma managed 28, and Axar Patel added 20, but both were victims of costly run-outs. Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 21. India was eventually bowled out for 223.
Springer finished with 2/50. West Indies fought hard to chase the 224-run target. Shimron Hetmyer scored 43 and Kamil Pooran contributed 42. Arshdeep Singh shut them down. He took 3/44 to choke the visitors. West Indies finished at 209/7.
India now holds the advantage. The team management still worries about the late batting collapse. They need more composure heading into the fourth match. The hosts previously won the opener in Lucknow by eight wickets. West Indies took the second game in Ranchi by six wickets.
Following the win, the team remains focused on closing out the series. As one report noted, "Arshdeep’s timely breakthroughs and the collective effort of the bowling attack ensured that the late setbacks with the bat did not prove costly."
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