India have struggled to get going against spin in the middle overs. Image Credits: AFPWhen pitches are as flat as they have been in the India-West Indies series, teams can never be sure what constitutes a safe score. The only option is to keep hitting every ball out of the park and hope the opposition hits one fewer. That has been the story of the last three T20Is between these two sides.India scored 249/5 in Ranchi, only for West Indies to chase it down with nine balls to spare. India then posted 223 in the third T20I in Indore, but the Caribbean side fell short by just 14 runs. And now, in the fourth T20I, West Indies raced to 247/3, only to find themselves under pressure throughout the chase before somehow scraping through to a 24-run win.There have been runs, more runs, and then some more. Dot balls have been so rare that a batter playing one might as well consider himself guilty of a negative innings. As for the bowlers, they count anything that isn't hit for a four or six as a small victory.Where India have lagged in West Indies T20IsIndian batters by each phase in the West Indies T20IsIndia have been the most prolific six-hitting side in T20Is this year. They have smashed 338 maximums at 9.94 sixes per game, the most in the format. They bat deep, with as many as eight capable batters in the XI, and have played on some of the flattest pitches cricket has ever seen.Against West Indies, however, India have fallen short despite maintaining their six-hitting prowess. While they have hit 41 maximums, West Indies have cleared the ropes 57 times across four matches. But that’s not entirely where India have lost their way.India have slowed down considerably in the middle overs across the last three games. They have started briskly in the powerplay, but their boundary-hitting ability has taken a hit once the fielding restrictions are lifted. And that slight dip has worked in West Indies’ favour.ALSO READKeemo Paul Enters History Books With 5-Wicket Haul Vs India In 4th T20ISince the Ranchi T20I, India have scored at a run rate of 9.81 in overs 7-15, taking around 4.91 balls per boundary. Their average in this phase has been just 24.09, with 25.93% of their deliveries being dots.Notably, India have started well in these games, with a run rate of 13.67 and a boundary every 2.70 balls in the powerplay. They have then picked up again in the slog overs, scoring at 12.69 runs per over and finding a boundary every 3.48 balls. But in the middle overs, they have consistently lagged.Take the Hyderabad T20I, for instance. After racing to 80/1 in the powerplay, India slowed down significantly after Sanju Samson’s dismissal and lost wickets at regular intervals through the middle overs. Abhishek Sharma never got going, while Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer departed after making promising starts with boundaries.As a result, India managed just 88 runs in the next nine overs, leaving themselves with too much to do in the final five. They eventually fell short by 24 runs, as the mounting required rate added to the pressure.Star Sports @StarSportsIndia 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓, 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃?! 🤯 A near-boundary save turns into a run-out as the West Indies catch Tilak Varma short of his crease! #INDvWI 3rd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 Oct 11, 2026, 9:01 PM Similarly, India might have posted a formidable 249/5 in Ranchi, but there was room for a much stronger middle-overs effort. With Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube and Shreyas Iyer departing in quick succession, India failed to build the desired momentum before Tilak Varma produced a magnificent cameo at the death.West Indies eventually chased the target down with nine balls to spare, leaving India to wonder whether a stronger middle-overs phase could have given them an even bigger total.Issues with spinIndian batters in the middle overs in the West Indies T20IsMost of India’s problems have come against spin. They have scored freely against pace, with West Indies’ quicks occasionally struggling to maintain control. The flat surfaces have also made it easier to play through the line.However, West Indies spinners Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase have hardly allowed Indian batters to score freely. Against spin in the middle overs, India have averaged a mere 14.86 and struck at 123.81, with 33.33% of their deliveries resulting in dot balls.Chase has been particularly impressive with his defensive skills right from the outset. In the middle overs, he has taken four wickets at an average of 11 while conceding just 6.29 runs per over. Around 40.48% of his deliveries have gone for no runs.Meanwhile, Motie has quietly done his job during this phase as well. The left-arm spinner has picked up three wickets at an average of 20.67, with an economy rate of 8.86. He has also bowled 26.19% dot balls.ALSO READArshdeep Singh Suffers Injury, Retires Out In IND vs WI 4th T20ITogether, the two have stifled India’s batting unit and prevented them from running away with the game. In the Indore T20I, Motie and Chase came into the attack from the eighth over and bowled five overs between them in the middle phase. They conceded just 8.60 runs per over collectively and claimed three wickets, including those of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.As a result, India were eventually bowled out for 223, having missed the chance to add at least another 15-20 runs. The cluster of wickets also forced the remaining batters to rein in their scoring. India somehow managed to win, with no dew even late into the night making the job slightly easier for their bowlers.In Hyderabad, meanwhile, the pitch became a touch slower and offered more grip to the spinners in the second innings. Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer fell in quick succession, sucking the momentum out of the chase. India never really recovered from that point, even as Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy struck a few big shots to keep their hopes alive.Star Sports @StarSportsIndia The tightest call of the series? 👀 Motie out-flights Naman Dhir, gets it to turn, & sets up a high-drama third-umpire check! 🧐 #INDvWI 4th T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 Oct 14, 2026, 10:34 PM These are still some of the easiest conditions to bat, which makes India’s struggles all the more concerning. It is not as though their middle-order batters are inherently vulnerable to spin, either. India have also pushed Tilak down the order to prevent the innings from stagnating when the field spreads, given his tendency to get bogged down against spin.They need to address these issues as soon as possible and rediscover their ability to score freely against spin with the old ball. Several such trends have developed into recurring patterns in T20Is, eventually costing them in the long run. They cannot afford to let this slowdown against spin become another one.ALSO READ'Once In A Generation Bowler': Sanju Samson Remembers Jasprit Bumrah After India's Defeat vs WI
