Abhishek, Arshdeep power India to 14-run win over WI
Abhishek Sharma’s scintillating 69 and pacer Arshdeep Singh’s crucial three-wicket haul paved the way for India’s 14-run victory against the West Indies in the third T20I here on Sunday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-1.
Abhishek’s 30-ball knock (6x4, 5x4) and his century alliance with Ishan Kishan (37) drove India’s charge with the bat, which was undone a bit by sloppy effort in the middle overs. India made 223 all out.
In reply, Arshdeep Singh (3/44) dealt a severe blow early when he cleaned up in-form WI skipper Shai Hope (5) in the second over, and accounted for Sherfane Rutherford (32) and Keemo Paul (10) later in the innings to seal the outcome of the contest. The West Indies finished at 209 for seven.
The Caribbean side failed to recover from the early dismissal of Hope. Shimron Hetmyer (43, 26b; 4x6, 6x2) got a lifeline early, but he did not really capitalise.
Hetmyer, who looked in rhythm for a long haul which the West Indies needed, was cleaned up by Naman Dhir with an angled in delivery in the seventh over.
In the 10th over, Rovman Powell (5) perished trying to clear the ropes off Axar Patel. Kamil Pooran (42, 27b; 6x3, 4x6) was struggling to middle the ball halfway through the chase. Pooran seemed to have shrugged off his struggles in the 11th over when he sent the ball into the stands thrice off Dhir (2/39), but the bowler had the last laugh, getting him caught by Arshdeep at square leg.
India vice-captain Tilak Varma, who was run out embarrassingly earlier in the first half, redeemed himself with two sharp catches in the deep as India continued tightening their grip on the game. Earlier, a sloppy batting approach in the middle overs took the shine off opener Abhishek’s sprightly 69 on a track with some variable bounce.
Abhishek’s fiery knock came off 30 balls (6x6, 5x4) and his 108-run stand for the second wicket off only 40 balls with Kishan had put India on course for a massive total. But India slipped from 115 for one to 223 all out, which included a brain fade from Tilak (28) in the 17th over. Tilak ran himself out while not even attempting to get back to the non-strikers’ end. Axar’s hit was saved at the ropes by Pooran, but the Indian batters thought they had got a boundary. Having met at the middle of the pitch after completing a single, Axar got back into the crease in time before the stumps were broken.
But Tilak was still strolling back and was caught well short of the crease when Gudakesh Motie broke the stumps off the throw from the stumper. Shortly after that, Axar (20) himself was run out after a mix-up with Arshdeep. Earlier at the start, a few deliveries kept lower than expected, but it all changed the moment Abhishek unleashed himself.
In the third over, Roston Chase (2/38) was swatted for a four over cover when the offie looked to angle one into him, and followed it up with two sixes.
With those three shots, Abhishek had made it clear that it was his day to drive India’s innings forward, and he did it with his 14th half-century, which came off 18 balls.
Abhishek put on a century alliance with Kishan, who played the perfect second fiddle.
India were on course for a total in excess of 250 when Abhishek and Kishan were on song, but the momentum completely changed when Chase decided to alter the length in the ninth over.
Having been smacked for a six over his head in the previous ball, Chase pitched one short, guessing Kishan’s forward movement and Hope was quick enough to whip the bails off. It was the third time Chase dismissed Kishan in this series in as many matches.
Three balls later, Chase lured Shreyas Iyer (1) with a flighted delivery and the batter failed to connect the ball. The umpire ruled him out leg before.
Abhishek went after a short ball from Shamar Springer but a mishit brought an end to his knock. India were in trouble with Dhir (10) finding the fielder at long-off in the 11th over.
But they managed to raise a good enough target.
