Abhishek Sharma (Pic credit: BCCI)
NEW DELHI: India opener Abhishek Sharma knew the West Indies had a plan to contain him. His response was simple: play better than their plan.The left-hander’s explosive 30-ball 69 proved decisive as India defeated the West Indies by 14 runs in the third T20I to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. West Indies all-rounder Shamar Springer later revealed that the visitors’ Plan B against the in-form opener was to adopt a defensive approach and restrict him to singles and twos rather than allow him to continue his big-hitting spree.Abhishek smashed six fours and five sixes, recording his 14th T20I half-century and becoming the fastest player to reach 2,000 runs in the format in terms of balls faced. His 108-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, who scored 37, helped India post 223 before the bowlers held their nerve to restrict the visitors to 209/7.
Springer reveals West Indies’ Plan B
With Abhishek initially taking on Roston Chase’s off-spin, the West Indies had to reconsider their approach against the dangerous opener.
Springer explained that the team decided to focus on damage control rather than attempt an aggressive dismissal.“He is a world-class player. Kudos to him, for sure. But I guess our plan B is to just be as defensive as possible and try to make him get singles and twos, running at moments. Nothing too extravagant,” Springer told reporters after the match.“It was just a matter of trying to pull him back and be as impressive as possible.
Because there's not much control you can really have here. The wickets are so good and those players are world-class players and they're the best for a reason. So, it's not really much you can really do besides be defensive,” he added.The strategy, however, could not prevent Abhishek from giving India a flying start. The opener’s assault provided the home side with the cushion they needed to withstand a late West Indies charge.Springer himself threatened to turn the contest around with an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls, including four sixes and two fours, but the visitors eventually fell 14 runs short.
‘I had to play better than that’: Abhishek
Abhishek acknowledged that the West Indies’ tactics against him were on his mind, particularly when Chase opened the bowling and the field was set to challenge his preferred scoring areas.“I wouldn't say it was deliberate, but it was there in my mind that they had a plan against me,” Abhishek said.“(With the) off-spinner bowling against me, it was just a battle between him and me. I gave him respect in the first over because he is bowling really well in this series, so it is just the plan that went pretty well for me as well.”The opener, however, insisted that his strokeplay was dictated by the field rather than any premeditated attempt to target a particular area.“...because in the powerplay, I was trying to just get a few runs and they had a plan for me, and I had to play better than that,” he said.
“I don't think and play deliberately. It just happens when I see the field placement, whenever they have a field placement which allows me to just give myself room and play those shots.”
India stay ruthless despite late scare
Abhishek said India were determined not to let the West Indies back into the contest, knowing the visitors possessed enough batting firepower to threaten even in difficult situations.
“West Indies is such a team that you can never say that the match is now on our side,” he said, recalling how the opposition’s batters had shown their ability to change the course of a game.“That was in our mind because we saw in the last match that whichever batsman comes in, (with) the conditions that we have here, it is very easy for them to take the match to their side.”“So that was in our mind even when we were losing wickets, we were saying that we would be ruthless thereon and we will not give them a single chance to come back,” Abhishek added.Springer felt the West Indies could have taken the chase closer, pointing to missed scoring opportunities and the pitch playing lower than expected. He also credited the Indian bowlers for using the conditions effectively.India’s 14-run victory gave them a 2-1 series lead, with Abhishek’s early onslaught once again underlining why opposition sides are searching for ways to contain him.