India claimed a tense 14-run victory over West Indies in the 3rd T20I at Holkar Stadium, Indore on Sunday, 11 October, successfully defending a total of 223 to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. It was also the first instance in the series of a team batting first winning a white-ball fixture.

India's Bowling Performance

Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 44, removing the dangerous Shai Hope early when the opener went for a wild slog and was castled for one. Naman Dhir chipped in with 2 for 39, dismissing both Shimron Hetmyer and Kamil Pooran at crucial junctures. The duo, along with the rest of the attack, ensured West Indies could never build the sustained momentum required for back-to-back successful chases.

The decisive blow came in the 18th over, when Arshdeep removed both Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford in the space of four balls, effectively sealing India's victory. A late assault from Shamar Springer — who smashed an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls — added some gloss to the West Indies scorecard, but the visitors ultimately finished on 209/7, falling 14 runs short.

Hetmyer and Pooran Keep West Indies in the Hunt

West Indies' chase was kept alive largely by Hetmyer and Pooran. After Mayank Yadav opened with an economical one-run over, Hetmyer took the attack to the bowlers, hitting a six and two fours off Arshdeep in the fourth over as 19 runs came off it. He was gifted a reprieve on five when Abhishek Sharma dropped a straightforward catch at short third man, and made the hosts pay by carting the attack to reach 43 before being bowled by a Dhir slower delivery that skidded through.

West Indies reached 54/1 at the end of the Powerplay, 33 runs adrift of India's 87/1 at the same stage — a deficit they could never fully overcome. Pooran, initially struggling for timing, launched a late charge off Dhir with three sixes over cow corner, wide long-off and square leg, before holing out in the deep for 42 attempting a repeat pick-up shot.

Abhishek Sharma's Foundation and India's Late Slide

Abhishek Sharma set the platform for India with a blazing 69 off 30 balls, laying the groundwork for what appeared to be a formidable total. However, a second-half slide featuring soft dismissals threatened to make 223 look below par at one stage. Ishan Kishan contributed 37, while Roston Chase and Springer took 2 wickets each for West Indies to restrict India to exactly 223 all out in 20 overs.

Series Outlook

India's 2-1 lead with two matches remaining puts them in a commanding position to clinch the series. The result also demonstrated the hosts' ability to defend totals on dew-free surfaces — an important tactical lesson after two chase-dominated contests earlier in the series. Notably, Rovman Powell was dismissed for just five after holing out to deep cover off Axar Patel, blunting one of West Indies' most dangerous hitters at a critical juncture.

Brief Scores: India 223 all out in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 69, Ishan Kishan 37; Roston Chase 2-38, Shamar Springer 2-50) beat West Indies 209/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 43, Kamil Pooran 42; Arshdeep Singh 3-44, Naman Dhir 2-39) by 14 runs.