Abhishek Sharma's 69 and a T20I record help India set West Indies 224 in Indore
Abhishek Sharma struck 69 off 30 balls and became the fastest to 2,000 T20I runs as India posted 224 in the third T20 against West Indies.
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India set West Indies a target of 224 in the first innings of the third T20 of the series at Holkar Stadium in Indore. West Indies won the toss and chose to field first, and going by the outcome of the first innings, the decision proved right to some extent.
Apart from Abhishek Sharma's 69, no Indian batter could make a half-century. Opening the innings, Abhishek did not let his batting be affected even after Sanju Samson was dismissed for just 3. He added 108 runs for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan, of which 63 came from Abhishek. Abhishek made 69 off 30 balls with the help of 6 fours and 5 sixes. Just when it looked like he would complete a century, Shamar Springer caught him off his own bowling.
During the same innings, Abhishek made history in T20 international cricket. He became the fastest batter to score 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals. He set the world record as he completed his 33rd run of the innings. He reached 2,000 runs in 1,024 balls, becoming the first batter in the world to touch that figure in the fewest balls. With this, he also broke the world record held by Suryakumar Yadav.
India's middle order stumbled once again. Ishan Kishan made 37, but no other batter stayed in for long. Tilak Varma made 28 and can be considered an exception, but he too was run out in an odd manner. Captain Shreyas Iyer returned to the pavilion after scoring just 1, while Naman Dhir was out for 10 and Nitish Kumar Reddy for 21.
The West Indies bowlers kept up the pressure on the Indian batters from the start. Roston Chase took the wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who had looked in good touch. Chase took 2 wickets for 38 runs, while Shamar Springer took 2 for 50. Shamar Joseph, Kimo Paul and Gudakesh Motie got one wicket each.
The focus now shifts to the Indian bowlers. Given the form shown by the West Indies middle-order batters in the previous match, the Indian bowlers will have to bowl tight lines. Dew on the ground could again become a headache while fielding, so India will have to tighten their fielding as well as bowl well.
