India captain Shreyas Iyer lauded Prince Yadav’s impactful 13-run cameo and other lower-order contributions, emphasising their critical role in securing a 14-run victory against the West Indies in a thrilling third T20I encounter.
IMAGE: Prince Yadav bats. Photograph: LSG/X
Key Points
- Prince Yadav’s 13-run cameo and Arshdeep Singh’s 11 runs were crucial in pushing India’s total to 223, providing a vital cushion against the West Indies’ late charge.
- India’s innings saw a strong 108-run second-wicket partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, setting a solid foundation.
- Despite losing wickets in the middle order, India managed to maintain momentum and reach a commendable total.
- Captain Shreyas Iyer praised the bowlers for their clear execution and confidence under pressure.
- Iyer highlighted the collective batting effort, from the opening partnership to the lower-order cameos, as key to the team’s success.
Prince Yadav’s 13-run cameo may not have grabbed the headlines, but India captain Shreyas Iyer believes those late runs proved valuable in the 14-run win over the West Indies in the third T20I in Indore on Sunday.
With India losing wickets towards the end, the lower-order contribution helped push the total to 223 and gave the bowlers a crucial cushion.
Crucial Lower-Order Contributions
India looked set for a bigger total after Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan put together a 108-run stand for the second wicket. However, a flurry of wickets slowed their progress, leaving the lower order with the task of pushing the total past 220.
Prince chipped in with a valuable 13-run cameo, while Arshdeep Singh added 11 to help India reach 223 before being bowled out.
Those late runs proved particularly useful when the West Indies threatened to pull off a late charge. Shamar Springer smashed 22 runs in the final over, including three sixes and a four, but India still finished 14 runs ahead.
The lower-order contributions gave the hosts some much-needed breathing room in a tense finish.
Iyer Praises Team’s Execution
Speaking after the match, Iyer praised the clarity and confidence with which his bowlers executed their plans.
“It was wonderful, honestly. When the bowlers were up to the mark, they were pretty confident in terms of what they wanted to execute, and the clarity was very much visible when I was interacting with them. So they were decisive in their execution, and I also feel that when I was passing on the ball to them, each and every one, they were ready to take on the challenge, and that is what we want.”
Batting Efforts Lauded
Iyer also praised India’s batting effort, singling out Abhishek and Kishan for their attacking partnership, while acknowledging the contributions from the middle order and Prince’s late cameo.
“That was a phenomenal start, what we got from Abhishek – those crucial runs in the powerplay. We know what he can offer, and then Ishan coming in and taking on the bowlers. He has been simply remarkable in the last couple of months. And then in between also, we never let West Indies take on the charge, even though we kept on losing wickets. We steadied the ship in the middle order as well. That took us to a commendable total of 223. Even Prince coming and playing that cameo at the end, those were useful runs, I felt.”
