Arshdeep Singh Stars as India Beat West Indies by 14 Runs, Lead Series 2-1

India held their nerve to beat West Indies by 14 runs in the 3rd T20I at Holkar Stadium, Indore, taking an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series on the back of Arshdeep Singh's match-winning spell with the new ball at the death.

Put in to bat, India got off to a stuttering start as Sanju Samson fell early, but Abhishek Sharma blazed his way to 69 off 30 balls, including six fours and five sixes, before holing out off Shamar Springer. Ishan Kishan kept the tempo going with 37 off 18, and useful contributions from Tilak Varma (28), Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Axar Patel (20) helped India post 223 for 10 despite losing wickets at regular intervals in the back half. Roston Chase, Shamar Joseph and Shamar Springer all picked up two wickets apiece for West Indies.

Chasing 224, West Indies were always playing catch-up after early inroads. Shimron Hetmyer (43) and Kamil Pooran (42) put together a 60-run stand to briefly bring the equation down, and Sherfane Rutherford's 32 kept the required rate within reach. But Arshdeep Singh was outstanding with the ball, finishing with 3 for 44, including the crucial wickets of Shai Hope and Keemo Paul, while Naman Dhir chipped in with 2 for 39. A late flourish from Shamar Springer, who smashed an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls with four sixes, briefly threatened to pull off a heist, but West Indies fell short at 209 for 7, with India closing out the game by 14 runs.

Arshdeep Singh was named Player of the Match for his three-wicket haul and his composure in the death overs, a spell that proved decisive in restricting West Indies' chase. With this win, India move to 2-1 up in the series with two T20Is to play, and will look to seal the series when the two sides meet next.