New Delhi: Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has credited Shai Hope’s composure and shot selection for the West Indies’ batting success against India in the ongoing white-ball series, while highlighting Keemo Paul’s decisive bowling spell as a turning point in the visitors’ latest victory.
Assessing the West Indies’ performance after their win over India, Pujara pointed to the visitors’ calculated aggression, their ability to exploit errors in the Indian bowling attack and the pressure they created across both innings, warning that the hosts would need greater discipline and variation in Bengaluru. He also identified Hope’s approach at the crease as a major reason behind his remarkable consistency throughout the series.
“Shai Hope has been a problem for India in this white-ball series against the West Indies and what stands out is that he does not rely on blind slogging. He backs his natural game and picks his gaps. That is why he scores so quickly without taking too many risks. The way he times the ball, plays normal cricketing shots, and knows his areas well is what makes him so effective.
“He’s also a good player of spin because this pitch was a little challenging for the batters to dominate the spinners. But he had a lot of clarity. When a batter has that kind of control, it becomes very difficult for the bowlers to build pressure. Once he’s set, he’s a hard player to stop. And if you look at his strike rate, it has been phenomenal throughout the series. His four hundreds are now the most by any batter on a tour of India and he has been the standout performer in this T20I series and the numbers prove it,” Pujara told JioStar.
While Hope’s contributions have stood out with the bat, Pujara reserved special praise for Keemo Paul, whose intervention with the ball proved instrumental in the West Indies’ success. Paul made an immediate impact by dismissing Sanju Samson with his first delivery before removing Ishan Kishan in the same over. He returned in the 19th over to deliver another decisive blow with a three-wicket over.
“This win was all about Keemo Paul. He struck gold with his very first delivery of the game, getting the big wicket of Sanju Samson, who got caught at deep backward square-leg. Paul then got rid of Ishan Kishan in the same over and then came back to seal it in the 19th over with a three-wicket over. With their backs against the wall and both the last two games being must-wins, West Indies have not only avoided a series defeat for now but also sent the hosts a strong message that they are here to win,” he added.
Pujara also pointed to the collective effort of the West Indies batters, particularly Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, in exposing weaknesses in India’s bowling plans. According to the former India batter, the visitors’ attacking intent was complemented by their sharp reading of lengths, leaving the Indian bowlers with little room for error.
“The way the West Indian batters went after us in the powerplay, and even after the powerplay, the Indian bowlers didn’t hit the right lengths. They didn’t show a lot of variations in their bowling. But sometimes you also need to appreciate the kind of batting the West Indies players produced, the kind of shots they played, especially Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford. All three of them were key players in their side’s victory. They were exceptional.
“They put a lot of pressure on the Indian bowlers, and the margin for error for a bowler was very small. They picked the length very early against Naman Dhir when he came on to bowl. There was pressure on him, and whenever a bowler missed his length, the West Indian batters were ready to punish him. The Indian bowlers will have to bowl better lengths and bring in more variations in Bengaluru, because against batters this good, one loose ball is enough to cost you the game,” he stated. IANS
Also Read: Kylian Mbappe Becomes Youngest to Reach 100 Champions League Games, Surpassing Messi