Daijiworld Media Network - Indore
Indore, Oct 12: West Indies all-rounder Shamar Springer has admitted that his team struggled to contain India opener Abhishek Sharma during the third T20 International, revealing that their backup strategy was to adopt a defensive approach and restrict him to singles and twos.
Abhishek smashed six fours and five sixes in a blistering 30-ball 69, recording his 14th T20I half-century and becoming the fastest player in terms of balls faced to reach 2,000 runs in the format. His 108-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, who scored 37, powered India to 223 runs. West Indies managed 209 for seven in reply, falling short by 14 runs.
“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.
He said the West Indies bowlers had limited control over the situation because of the quality of the Indian batters and the favourable batting conditions.
“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.
Despite the defeat, Springer believed West Indies had a realistic chance of chasing the target of 224. He provided a late burst with an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls, including four sixes and two fours, but his effort was insufficient to take the visitors across the finish line.
Springer felt the team had missed opportunities to score crucial runs during the chase. He also praised the Indian bowlers for restricting West Indies during the middle overs and at the death.
“They kind of stifled us and left us with too many runs down the end. We thought the wicket would play a little better. The ball kept a bit lower than we expected. Also, we thought there would be some dew in the second half but there wasn’t really any dew,” he said.
Springer added that the Indian bowlers had adapted better to the low bounce of the pitch, making it difficult for the West Indies batters to accelerate consistently.
Asked whether captain Shai Hope’s early dismissal for five had affected the chase, Springer disagreed, pointing to the team’s batting depth and the opportunities available to other players.
He said West Indies could potentially have chased down the target if they had managed to score a few more runs during the powerplay or middle overs.
Springer also praised off-spinner Roston Chase, who has taken six wickets in the first three matches of the series, describing his contribution as underrated.
“In our dressing room, we really appreciate what he does. He brings that control and calmness to our team. He is the x-factor so far,” Springer said.
On whether his performances in Indian conditions could improve his prospects in franchise-based T20 leagues, Springer said winning remained his primary objective. He acknowledged that strong performances against India could naturally attract attention from franchises but insisted that this was not his main motivation.
The victory gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series, with two matches remaining.