Abhishek Sharma's blistering 69 off 30 balls and Arshdeep Singh's crucial three-wicket haul helped India register a 14-run victory over the West Indies in the third T20 International on Sunday, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Abhishek struck six sixes and five fours in an innings that threatened to take India beyond 250, while his 108-run second-wicket partnership with Ishan Kishan (37) came off just 40 deliveries. However, a middle-order collapse and two avoidable run-outs prevented India from capitalising fully on the explosive start as they were bowled out for 223. In reply, the West Indies finished at 209 for seven despite useful contributions from Shimron Hetmyer (43), Kamil Pooran (42) and Sherfane Rutherford (32).
Arshdeep strikes early
Defending 224, India made an important breakthrough in the second over when Arshdeep Singh (3/44) bowled West Indies captain Shai Hope for five. The early dismissal disrupted the visitors' chase and placed greater responsibility on their middle order.
Hetmyer, who survived an early chance, looked capable of building a substantial innings. He struck 43 off 26 balls but failed to convert his start into the match-defining contribution the West Indies required. Naman Dhir dismissed him in the seventh over with a delivery angled into the batter, breaking a promising partnership.
The visitors suffered another setback in the 10th over when Rovman Powell (5) attempted to clear the boundary against Axar Patel but failed to execute the shot.
Pooran initially struggled to find the middle of the bat before launching a counterattack against Dhir. He struck three sixes in the 11th over, briefly reviving West Indies' hopes, but Dhir responded by inducing a catch to Arshdeep at square leg. Pooran departed for 42 off 27 balls, leaving the visitors with a difficult task.
Arshdeep returned to dismiss Rutherford for 32 and Keemo Paul for 10, completing a decisive three-wicket performance. Dhir finished with figures of 2/39, while Tilak Varma contributed two sharp catches in the deep as India maintained control during the closing stages.
Abhishek dominates powerplay
Earlier, India were given a flying start by Abhishek, who overcame the variable bounce on the surface to launch a sustained assault on the West Indies bowling. A few deliveries kept unexpectedly low during the opening overs, but the conditions did little to restrain the left-handed opener once he settled into his innings.
Abhishek took charge in the third over, attacking off-spinner Roston Chase with a boundary over cover followed by two sixes. The sequence established India's aggressive approach and put the West Indies bowlers under immediate pressure.
He reached his 14th T20 half-century in just 18 deliveries, combining clean hitting with an ability to punish anything short or overpitched. Kishan played the supporting role effectively, rotating the strike and finding boundaries as the pair added 108 runs for the second wicket in only 40 balls.
At 115 for one, India appeared set for a total comfortably beyond 250, but the West Indies fought back through Chase, whose change of length in the ninth over altered the momentum.
Chase triggers collapse
Having been struck for a straight six by Kishan, Chase shortened his length on the following delivery and anticipated the batter's movement down the pitch. Hope reacted quickly behind the stumps to complete the stumping, dismissing Kishan for 37. It was the third time in as many matches in the series that Chase had accounted for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
Three deliveries later, Chase trapped Shreyas Iyer leg before for one with a flighted delivery that beat the batter. The double breakthrough gave the West Indies an opening after India's commanding start.
Abhishek continued attacking but eventually mistimed a short delivery from Shamar Springer, bringing his entertaining innings to an end. Dhir followed for 10 after finding the fielder at long-off in the 11th over, leaving India struggling to maintain the momentum established by their top order.
Chase returned figures of 2/38, playing a central role in restricting India's total.
Run-outs hurt India
India's innings was further disrupted by two unnecessary run-outs during the closing overs, including an unusual dismissal involving Tilak Varma in the 17th over.
Axar Patel struck a delivery towards the boundary, where Pooran prevented the ball from crossing the ropes. However, the Indian batters appeared to believe that a boundary had been scored.
After completing a single, Axar and Tilak met near the middle of the pitch. Axar returned to his crease in time, but Tilak, who had made 28, was still walking back when Gudakesh Motie broke the stumps following a throw from the wicketkeeper.
The confusion resulted in Tilak being run out well short of his crease. Shortly afterwards, Axar himself was dismissed for 20 following another mix-up, this time with Arshdeep.
India eventually finished at 223 all out, having surrendered the opportunity to post a significantly larger total after their explosive start.
Despite the batting collapse, the target proved sufficient as India's bowlers struck at regular intervals and prevented the West Indies from building the partnerships needed to complete the chase.
The 14-run victory gave India a 2-1 advantage in the five-match series, with Abhishek's aggressive batting and Arshdeep's timely breakthroughs proving decisive.
Brief scores: India 223 all out (Abhishek Sharma 69, Ishan Kishan 37; Roston Chase 2/38) beat West Indies 209/7 (Shimron Hetmyer 43, Kamil Pooran 42; Arshdeep Singh 3/44, Naman Dhir 2/39) by 14 runs.