India’s third T20I against West Indies was won by 14 runs, but the match’s most shareable detail arrived in just six deliveries. Prince Yadav hit 13, including three fours in the final over, after borrowing Abhishek Sharma’s bat. The result put India 2-1 ahead in the five-match series, while also giving a lower-order cameo unusual importance in a high-scoring game. [1] [2]
Key points
- India beat West Indies by 14 runs in the third T20I at Indore on October 11, 2026.
- India made 223; West Indies finished on 209/7. [3]
- Prince Yadav scored 13 not out from six balls, with three fours. [3]
- He said he used Abhishek Sharma’s bat and was told not to embarrass it. [1] [4]
- India now lead the five-match series 2-1. [1]
What happened in Indore
The match took place at Holkar Stadium in Indore on October 11, rather than on the October 12 or October 13 publication dates attached to the follow-up reports. The scorecard records India’s 223 and West Indies’ 209/7, confirming a 14-run result and resolving the chronology behind the news lead. [3]
India’s total was built at pace. Abhishek Sharma made 69 from 30 balls, Ishan Kishan added 37 from 18, and the middle order kept the innings moving before the late hitters arrived. The scorecard lists Prince at No. 10, unbeaten on 13 from six balls, with three fours. [3]
The chase was competitive rather than ceremonial. West Indies reached 209/7, close enough to make India’s last-over additions meaningful. Arshdeep Singh was named player of the match after returning 3/44, and his bowling helped India defend the total after the batting surge had set the target. [3]
The result is distinct from the first and second T20Is already covered by Verdvit. Readers looking for earlier chronology can review the first-T20I result and the second-T20I report; this article focuses only on the third match and its late cameo.
Why 13 runs matter in a 14-run win
A simple comparison explains the attention: Prince’s 13 runs were almost the size of India’s winning margin. That does not mean every one of those runs can be treated as a mathematically decisive individual contribution; cricket’s result depends on the entire innings and bowling performance. It does show how efficiently the cameo increased the pressure on a chasing side. [2]
Reports describe Prince striking three boundaries in Shamar Joseph’s final over. The scorecard establishes his overall innings as 13 not out from six balls. [3] [4] The burst lifted India to 223 and gave the bowlers a larger cushion entering the chase. Times of India also reported that Prince conceded only 20 runs in his two death overs, making his contribution broader than the batting highlight alone. [4]
The context matters more than the novelty of a fast bowler batting at No. 10. India’s top order had already supplied the platform, while the middle order repaired the innings after wickets. Prince’s role was to convert the last available balls into a total West Indies could not quite reach. That is why a six-ball score became the match’s defining subplot.
What remains unclear about the cameo
The borrowed-bat story is well supported, but it should not be inflated into a technical explanation for the result. Prince said Abhishek lent him the bat and jokingly asked him not to embarrass it; that is a post-match anecdote, not evidence that the equipment caused the three boundaries. [1] [4]
The available reports also do not establish a counterfactual: nobody can know whether India would have won by a different margin had Prince used another bat or faced a different over. The defensible point is narrower. His six-ball innings produced quick runs that formed part of a 14-run victory.
There is also a reporting distinction worth keeping clear. The Statesman describes the 13 as crucial because the margin was 14 runs, while the scorecard supplies the precise innings figures and match date. Outlook adds the 2-1 series context and quotes the bat anecdote. Read together, those sources support the story without requiring an exaggerated claim that Prince alone decided the game. [1] [2] [3]
What happens next in the series
India’s 2-1 lead changes the shape of the five-match series. West Indies must win the next match to keep the contest level, while India need one more victory to secure the series. The next fixture’s venue, playing XIs and tactical changes are not established by the sources reviewed here, so they should not be presented as settled.
The selection question is more interesting than a prediction. Prince showed useful late-order hitting while remaining part of the pace group, but one six-ball innings is not enough to guarantee a permanent batting promotion. India’s management will weigh balance, bowling workload and conditions before deciding whether the same combination returns.
For wider team context, Verdvit’s Shreyas Iyer and T20I rankings update is adjacent reading, not evidence that rankings or selection decisions have been determined for the remaining matches.
How six balls changed the scoreboard
The sequence is easiest to understand as a late-innings conversion. Prince’s late innings produced 13 from six balls, including three fours, and he finished unbeaten. The scorecard records India bowled out for 223, with Prince unbeaten on 13. That is the controlling innings total, rather than the 223/5 stated in one follow-up report. [3] [4]
West Indies therefore began their chase needing 224. They reached 209/7, leaving a gap of 14. The comparison does not prove that removing Prince’s runs would reverse the result—other deliveries and decisions would change—but it explains why the cameo feels larger than its raw score.
That is the useful lesson from the India-West Indies third T20I: in T20 cricket, a lower-order batter may have only one over to influence the match. Prince’s borrowed-bat anecdote made the moment memorable; his timing, three boundaries and the final margin made it newsworthy.
