Indore, 12 October (H.S.): Indian batter Abhishek Sharma said the team knew West Indies had the ability to turn a match around at any moment and, therefore, needed to maintain relentless pressure and deny their opponents any opportunity to stage a comeback in the third T20 International.

India defeated West Indies by 14 runs in the third match of the five-match series to take a 2-1 lead. Batting first in Indore, India posted an imposing total of 223 runs. In reply, West Indies managed 209 for seven.

Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets for India, while Naman Dhir picked up two. However, West Indies batter Shamar Springer made the contest thrilling with an explosive display in the final over, smashing an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls, including three sixes and a four.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Abhishek said India were fully aware of West Indies’ ability to fight back under pressure.

“I think West Indies are a team against whom you can never say that the match is completely in your control. That was always on our minds because, as we saw in the previous match, the conditions here allow any batter who comes to the crease to turn the game in their team’s favour at any moment.

“That was something we kept in mind. Even when wickets were falling, our conversations were focused on remaining ruthless, not allowing them to get back into the contest and not giving them even a single opportunity to stage a comeback,” he said.

Abhishek was India’s highest scorer in the match, smashing 69 runs off just 30 deliveries. Reflecting on Springer’s aggressive batting, he said the innings demonstrated how quickly West Indies could change the course of a match.

“If you saw the way Springer batted today, I was genuinely surprised by some of the shots he played. The shots he executed were not easy to play. In such situations, you have to remain alert at all times.

“Even if West Indies are five wickets down for 50 runs, they still have the ability to turn the match around. This time, we were fully prepared to remain ruthless. Even though we had a good powerplay with the ball, we could not afford to bowl even one bad delivery. We simply wanted to execute our plans properly, and that is exactly what we did,” Abhishek added.

His remarks came after India’s defeat in the second T20I, in which West Indies recorded their highest successful run chase in T20 International cricket against India.

In that match, played in Ranchi on Friday, India had posted a formidable 249 for five. West Indies responded with 252 for four in 18.3 overs to secure a six-wicket victory.

West Indies captain Shai Hope led the chase with an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford smashed 84 off 37 deliveries. Romario Shepherd also made a significant contribution, remaining unbeaten on 34 off just 13 balls.

Following that victory, the five-match series was level at 1-1. India’s win in the third T20I has now restored their lead, putting them 2-1 ahead in the series.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar