'Not much you can do besides be defensive': Springer on Abhishek Sharma's onslaught

West Indies all-rounder Shamar Springer has admitted his side had few answers to Abhishek Sharma's blistering assault in the third T20I, revealing that their fallback plan was simply to bowl defensively and hope to contain the India opener.

Abhishek smashed six fours and five sixes in a 30-ball 69, his 14th T20I half-century, becoming the fastest player in terms of balls faced to reach 2,000 T20I runs. His 108-run stand with Ishan Kishan (37) for the second wicket powered India to 223, a total that proved 14 runs too many for the visitors, who finished on 209/7.

"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.

Despite the defeat, Springer believed the target of 224 was within reach. The all-rounder himself gave the chase a late push with an unbeaten 35 off just 11 balls, including four sixes and two fours, but it was not enough. "I guess we missed out on a few balls. Still, kudos to the (Indian) bowlers. They actually did pretty well. But there were a few balls that we could have put away and maybe brought the game a little closer," he said.

"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. The nature of the wicket was a little low, and the Indian bowlers used the wicket a lot better," Springer added.

Asked whether Shai Hope's early dismissal for five had a cascading effect on the batting, Springer was quick to dismiss the suggestion. "I don't think so. We have great depth. We are back in the middle. Today wasn't as good. It was an opportunity for someone else to step up. I mean, we fell short by 14 runs. In the middle period and powerplay, if we had got six more runs in either phase, we probably could have got over it," he said.

The 28-year-old also singled out Roston Chase for praise, calling the off-spinner's contribution underrated. Chase has taken six wickets in three matches so far. "For sure, he has been underrated so far. But 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 performing well in Indian conditions could boost his prospects in T20 leagues, Springer said it was a secondary consideration. "Obviously, the goal is to win. But a by-product of doing well against India naturally would put some spotlight on you. That's not the goal per se. It's just a matter of doing well, and then that will take care of itself," he said.