India hold off West Indies to take 2-1 series lead in third T20

INDORE (Agencies): India beat West Indies by 14 runs on Sunday in Indore to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match ​Twenty20 International series. Chasing 224 for victory, West Indies suffered ‌an early setback when Arshdeep Singh dismissed captain Shai Hope for five after he missed a swipe at a delivery that jagged back ​on to his stumps.  Shimron Hetmyer kept the visitors in ​the hunt with a brisk 43 off 26 balls ⁠before spinner Naman Dhir broke the stand, while Axar Patel ​removed Rovman Powell to leave West Indies struggling to match ​the mounting required rate. Quentin Sampson and Sherfane Rutherford briefly revived the chase, but West Indies could not sustain the momentum as wickets fell regularly ​in the closing overs and they finished on 209-7. Arshdeep was ​India’s standout bowler with 3-44 as the hosts defended a formidable 223 after ‌being ⁠asked to bat. India recovered from the early loss of Sanju Samson, who fell for just three to Shamar Joseph, through a 108-run partnership for the second wicket between Abhishek Sharma and ​Ishan Kishan. Sharma dominated ​the scoring ⁠with an explosive 69 off 30 balls, while Kishan contributed 37. However, the hosts lost momentum ​when Kishan’s dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse. The platform ​laid ⁠by Sharma ultimately proved decisive, allowing the lower order to keep the scoreboard moving and lift India to 223 before they ⁠were bowled ​out off the final delivery of ​the innings. The teams meet again in the fourth Twenty20 International in Hyderabad on ​Wednesday.

Brief scores:

India 223 (Abhishek 69, Kishan 37, Chase 2-38) beat West Indies 209 (Hetmyer 43, Arshdeep 3-44) by 14 runs.