India secured a hard-fought 14-run victory over West Indies in the third T20I at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday, 12 October 2025, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop credited the result primarily to India's disciplined bowling attack, noting that conditions — notably the absence of dew — played a key role in enabling precise execution.

Bowling execution the difference

Arshdeep Singh spearheaded the Indian bowling effort, with Naman Dhir offering strong support. Bishop, speaking to JioStar, pointed to the strategic deployment of yorkers and wide-line deliveries as the decisive factor in restricting West Indies in the back end of their chase.

'Arshdeep is the leader of the attack, and he sussed things out quite quickly, with a little bit of help from Naman Dhir. A critical factor, obviously, was that there was no dew formation. All in all, it's good to see the bowlers having a better day in a batsman-dominated series so far,' Bishop said.

Prince Yadav's return and the yorker plan

India captain Shreyas Iyer had flagged at the toss that Prince Yadav was returning to the XI specifically for his ability to bowl yorkers and wide lines — a plan that paid off handsomely. Bishop noted that West Indies had found some momentum through Roston Chase, Springer, and Motie in the middle overs, but runs contributed by Prince Yadav with the bat also proved crucial in setting a competitive total.

'Those runs at the back end by Prince Yadav proved crucial. Then we saw the yorkers. Shreyas Iyer mentioned at the toss that he brought Prince Yadav back into the team for the first time in the series so they could get guys bowling those yorkers and wide lines, and those are critical plans,' Bishop added.

Abhishek Sharma's tactical awareness earns praise

Bishop reserved special mention for Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who he said showed admirable tactical intelligence against West Indies spinner Roston Chase. Rather than going hard from the outset — a default approach in contemporary T20 cricket — Abhishek chose to assess Chase's variations carefully before manipulating the field with calculated shot selection.

'It was not only about the respect that Roston Chase deserved after dismissing Abhishek a couple of times earlier in the series, but also the fact that Abhishek needed to get himself in, take a few balls to get a feel for what Roston was doing and understand the conditions,' Bishop explained.

Bishop emphasised that this brand of smart batting is often under-appreciated. 'When the West Indies moved the deep point, he hit the ball through cover by backing away, then he manipulated the field. It's not just about skill; you still need brains to play this game,' he said.

Series context and what's next

India now hold a 2-1 lead with two matches remaining in the five-match T20I series. The result snaps the momentum West Indies had built after levelling the series in the second game. Bishop acknowledged that West Indies 'will look to do a few things better next time' but was unequivocal in his assessment: India fully deserved this win from a bowling standpoint. The fourth T20I will be keenly anticipated as West Indies look to level the series once again.