The Abhishek Touch: How Prince Yadav’s Borrowed Bat Powered India To A Thrilling 14-Run Victory In Indore

Prince Yadav's six-ball cameo helped India beat West Indies by 14 runs in the third T20I in Indore and move 2-1 ahead in the five-match series. The fast bowler made 13 off six balls, including three fours in the final over from Shamar Joseph, as India finished on 223/5 in 20 overs at Holkar Stadium.

After the match, Prince revealed that the quick burst came with Abhishek Sharma's bat. He later told bcci.tv that the India opener had lent him the bat before the innings and warned him not to embarrass it.

Prince also made an impact with the ball. He gave away 20 runs in his two overs at the death, when West Indies needed more than 15 runs an over, to cap an all-round contribution in India's win.

Batting Cameo Details

Prince finished quickly. He struck three fours in the last over bowled by Joseph and turned a strong India total into an even tougher chase for West Indies.

The 13 runs came off only six balls. Those late blows took India to 223/5 from their 20 overs in Indore.

"Obviously, brother, it is great to contribute to the team, whether it's with the ball, bat, or in the fielding. So, I am feeling good. So, Abhi bhaiya gave me his bat earlier and said, 'don't embarrass the bat'. So, I kept its honour," Prince told bcci.tv in a chat with Abhishek after the game.

Abhishek's Assessment

Abhishek backed Prince's hitting. He said the fast bowler's power was no surprise to those who had watched him bat in Delhi.

He linked that ability to "single phatti", the one-on-one games Prince used to play. In those matches, a player has to bat and bowl, which Abhishek said sharpened Prince's boundary-hitting skills.

"I've seen his batting; if anyone hasn't seen it, he's famous in Delhi for 'single phatti'. Single phatti means one-on-one matches. In that, you have to both bat and bowl. So he has that talent to hit sixes and fours. We saw a bit of it today, and we'll see more in future. As for the bat, well...you need power too," Abhishek said.

More Batting Plans

This was not the first time. Prince said he had earlier used Abhishek's bat on India's tour of Ireland, where he also cleared the ropes.

"I played with Abhi bhaiya's bat in England too (Ireland)," Prince said, before Abhishek quipped, "he hit a six there."

Prince then added, "Yeah, I hit a six in Ireland too and here as well. So, I will take bhaiya's bat the next time too." Abhishek agreed to lend it again, replying, "Granted". Prince then thanked the India opener.

Captain's Praise

Shreyas Iyer also pointed to the late burst. The India captain said the middle order had first repaired the innings before Prince's cameo added useful runs at the end.

"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," Shreyas said in the post-match presentation.

India's win in Indore gives them a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series against West Indies.