‘West Indies, you can never take them lightly’: Shreyas Iyer after India take 2-1 lead

NEW DELHI: India captain Shreyas Iyer lauded his bowlers for their confident attitude and clear plans after the team beat West Indies by 14 runs in the third T20I at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday. The win gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.India successfully defended the target of 224, restricting West Indies to 209/7. Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets while Naman Dhir claimed two scalps to help India stop the visitors from completing another successful chase.

Iyer was impressed by the attitude of the bowlers

Iyer said the bowlers knew what they wanted to do and backed each other to execute their plans under pressure.“It was amazing because the bowlers were quite confident about what they wanted to deliver. The clarity was much more visible. They were decisive in their execution and when I bowled them, every bowler was up for the challenge and that’s what you want,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation.Arshdeep played a key role in the defense and finished with figures of 3/44. He dismissed opener Shai Hope early and later removed Keemo Paul and Sherfan Rutherford in the 18th over to put India firmly in control.Dhir also contributed significantly with two wickets, including the dismissal of Kamil Pooran, who threatened to turn the match with an aggressive innings.

Iyer praises Abhishek and Kishan

India’s strong start with the bat came from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Abhishek smashed 69 off 30 balls while Kishan scored 37 off just 18 deliveries.Iyer praised both batsmen for giving India momentum at the top of the order. He also highlighted Prince Yadav’s contribution towards the end of the innings.“Honestly, it’s been a phenomenal start. Abhishek is doing what he does in the power bowler and Kishan is coming in. He’s been brilliant in the last few months. Even Prince (Yadav), who ended up playing a cameo, those were crucial tries.“West Indies, you can never take them lightly. So we had to make sure we never get complacent. They’re high-scoring venues, but it’s important to stick to our process and stick to our routines and make sure we stay offensive,” Iyer said.

Hetmyer and Pooran threaten India’s defence

West Indies began their run chase with an early setback as Arshdeep bowled Shai Hope. However, Shimron Hetmyer struck and made the most of Abhishek Sharma’s catch at short third.Hetmyer hit boundaries against the Indian bowlers and scored 43 before being bowled by a slower delivery from Dhir.Rovman Powell fell for five after attempting a big shot against Axar Patel. Pooran then attacked Dhir and hit three sixes in a bid to bring the West Indies back into the contest.However, Dhir dismissed Pooran for 42 as the batsman tried another shot but failed to get enough height.

Arshdeep seals the win for India

Sherfane Rutherford and Quention Sampson tried to rebuild the innings with aggressive batting. However, Sampson was caught at long-off by Nitish Kumar Reddy.Arshdeep then struck twice in four balls in the 18th over, dismissing Keem Paul and Rutherford to leave West Indies with too much to do.Shamar Springer provided some late excitement with an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls, but his effort was not enough to get the visitors over the line. West Indies finished on 209/7, falling by 14 runs.The result also marked the first win for the team batting first in the white ball series so far. India looked set for a bigger total after Abhishek’s explosive innings, but a series of modest dismissals in the second half of their innings gave West Indies hope.India’s bowlers ensured that a late batting collapse did not cost the team the match and helped the hosts move ahead in the T20I series.