West Indies vs India 3rd T20I Full Commentary

Welcome back for West Indies' reply with the bat. The Men in Blue form a huddle before dispersing to take their respective fielding positions. Shai Hope, the centurion from the previous game, strides out with Kamil Pooran to open for West Indies. Mayank Yadav has the new ball and is raring to go. Hope is on strike with a slip in place. Here we go again...

... The Run Chase ...

Easy chase? West Indies chased down 250 in the previous game, and with that adrenaline still coursing through their veins, they will fancy their chances of getting 224 here. From an Indian perspective, though, there is plenty to prove. Their bowlers fell short of their plans in that last outing, and defending a total of this size is the perfect chance to put things right. They have gone with one extra pacer to tackle the dew factor. With the festive season just beginning in India, the first innings has already delivered plenty of fireworks, and now it is time to see how the second half plays out. Back shortly with the chase.

Quick word from the star Indian opener - Abhishek Sharma feels they have put up a good total, although, given the way they started, he believes they could have added another 15 to 20 runs. Nevertheless, he considers 223 a really good score. He adds that it is not easy to hit straight on this surface, and the batters have passed on feedback to the bowlers about the lengths that were difficult to attack. Abhishek feels they have enough experience in their bowling attack to handle these conditions. Speaking about his battle with Roston Chase, he acknowledges that Chase is a class bowler and says he had to be patient, waiting for the right ball to put away.

A messy finish - India were forced into yet another rebuild as the tourists kept picking up wickets through the middle phase, slowing the hosts down considerably. Tilak and Reddy tried to put together a recovery partnership, but Paul put an end to it, and the boundaries dried up towards the back end. India then compounded matters with a few errors of their own, with a couple of run outs, including those of Tilak and Axar, arriving at exactly the wrong time. But a quick cameo from Prince in the end helped India push past 220.

Fireworks followed by a fightback - The only time the West Indies bowlers got any respite in the Powerplay was with India being 11/1 in 2 overs, starting watchfully after losing Samson early doors. After that, normal service resumed, with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan unleashing mayhem on the attack and tearing it apart in dismissive fashion. Abhishek smashed a fifty in just 18 balls, and in the process became the quickest to 2000 T20I runs. The tourists staged a strong comeback, though, with Chase returning to the attack to break the 108-run stand, accounting for both Kishan and Shreyas in the same over. Abhishek fell soon after, with Dhir following suit, as India slipped from 115/1 to 135/5, leaving two fresh batters at the crease.

Entertainment at its very best - Time to catch our breath, shall we? What a topsy-turvy first innings here in Indore. It is indeed a rare sight to see a side feel even a touch disappointed after posting 223. India would feel they could have posted even more with the way they were going about it in the first half. But credit to the West Indies bowling attack, which hunted as a pack and kept picking up wickets at regular intervals, never letting the hosts settle into a perfect finish. Three boundaries in the final over, though, would have lifted the mood in the Indian camp slightly.

Oh, what’s going on there? Shai Hope is locked in a stare-down with the on-field umpire, Virender Sharma, while Chase is having an animated conversation with the other on-field umpire, J Madanagopal. Looks like Hope is discussing whether the ball ought to have been called dead once the keeper had collected it, but the umpire holds firm and the bye stands.

Mayank Yadav is the last batter in for India. And Shamar Joseph (3-0-42-1) will bowl the final over of the first innings.

Schoolboy error in running between the wickets. India are falling apart in the backend. Prince Yadav is in at number 10.

Shamar Springer (3-0-42-1) is back on and will bowl the penultimate over.

With three overs remaining, Keemo Paul is back on to bowl out. 1/32 so far.

Signing off - An entertaining game overall, one that ebbed and flowed rather than being one-way traffic, which is always good to see. After what we witnessed in Ranchi, and with Indore’s reputation as a batter’s paradise, another run fest looked on the cards. But with the dew staying away, the bowlers were in the contest and made their presence felt. The action moves to Hyderabad for the 4th T20I on Wednesday 14th October, where West Indies need a win to keep the series alive. The first ball will be bowled at 1.30 pm GMT (7 pm IST), and we look forward to having your company then. Take care, and goodbye!

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Arshdeep Singh has been given the accolade for his impact with the ball in a high-scoring game, returning figures of 3/44 from his 4 overs. Arshdeep says it was nice to get the ball reversing a bit. He adds that he enjoys bowling with dew around, although he couldn't make it work in the previous game. Singh says there is no such thing as a leader of the attack or a senior in the team. Mentions that the environment is relaxed, with everyone enjoying each other's success and backing one another on bad days, knowing that there will be ups and downs along the way. Shares that he enjoys it when batters go hard at him, as it tests his skills and mental strength. His focus is on getting in early and working with both the new and old ball. With a packed schedule, he believes the team that adapts to conditions more quickly is more likely to come out on top.

The Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer says it was wonderful to see the bowlers looking so confident. Adds that the clarity in their thinking was clearly visible when he spoke to them, and they were ready to embrace the challenge, which is exactly what the team wants to see. He also praises their batting, calling Abhishek’s start phenomenal and singling out Ishan Kishan for stepping in and taking on the bowlers, calling his batting remarkable in the last couple of months. Also praises Prince Yadav's crucial cameo in the last over. On the approach against West Indies, Iyer admits they are never a side to be taken lightly, so the group worked to keep complacency at bay. Adds that with both venues known for big scores, the message was to trust the process, stick to routines and keep the intent offensive.

The captain of West Indies - Shai Hope feels it's difficult to pinpoint one particular reason for the defeat, as games like these often come down to small moments. He admits they could have been better with their execution with the ball and in the field, but is pleased with the way they fought back with the ball and finished well to give themselves a good chance of chasing the target. He feels losing wickets in the Powerplay put them on the back foot and believes they could have done better as a batting unit. Hope doesn't want to single out one or two batters, stressing that it is a collective effort and that building a solid foundation makes the chase much easier. Hope reckons the dry conditions made a real difference, pointing out that Arshdeep Singh even got the ball to reverse towards the end. He gives credit to India for bowling well and executing their plans effectively.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Let's hear from the Indian all-rounder - Nitish Kumar Reddy, on being asked how pleasing it is for the team to defend the total, keeps it humble, saying a win is a win, and the whole group is proud of the effort. He points out that it is never easy to bowl on this ground, but the team executed its plans perfectly, and the results followed. On his bowling plans when he came on, with West Indies needing 14 an over at that stage, he shares that the thinking was simple. Details that if India could restrict them to six singles off the over, it would count as a win, and adds that the idea was not to chase a wicket at all. Sometimes, he notes, being defensive is the most attacking option available. On bowling with a dry ball, he says the skipper's message was to stick to the plans and be brave in the crucial overs. When asked about the batting performance, Reddy feels India started really well, with a few unlucky dismissals along the way. He singles out Prince Yadav for the crucial late runs that made all the difference in the end.

A start that promised more - India got off to a rollicking start, with Abhishek Sharma coming through with his fireworks. With 87 runs in the Powerplay and 109/1 at the end of 8 overs, India looked destined for more than the 223 they eventually ended up with. They had slowed down in the middle phase in Ranchi, and once again it was in the middle overs that they wobbled. Just as the other night, Roston Chase was the architect of West Indies’ fightback with the ball. The hosts still managed to go past 220, with contributions coming down the order, even though Windies kept chipping away at the wickets right until the end.

No dew, no problem - After the defeat in Ranchi, Shreyas Iyer had talked about the margin of error being small on flat surfaces and in dewy conditions, with even the slightest miscue in execution proving costly. Tonight in Indore, India were a lot more on point with the ball, and with the dew not being present, that made the execution easier. Shai Hope fell cheaply, which is a rare occurrence on this tour of India for him, while Shimron Hetmyer got going but did not last long enough for West Indies’ chances. The lack of meaningful partnerships and the quality of India’s execution meant West Indies just could not keep up with the required run rate.

India take the lead - The Men in Blue fell short with the bat, as it seemed at the halfway mark, considering the position they were in, but the bowlers made sure that it was enough. This is the first time across both the ODIs and T20Is on this tour that a team has successfully defended a total. Riding high on the record chase in Ranchi, and after the way they fought back to limit India, West Indies would have felt that 224 was gettable, but never really threatened to pull it off.

Axar Patel to bowl the final over of the game.

That should be the game right there. Roston Chase comes out to the middle.

Shamar Springer walks out to bat. Ian Bishop shares an interesting tidbit about him, revealing that Springer was initially seen as a batter who could bowl before bowling became his primary skill.