West Indies scored 247 for three before bowling India out for 223. (PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: West Indies pacer Keemo Paul said his team used slower deliveries well on a pitch that offered some grip to beat India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. West Indies scored 247 for three before bowling India out for 223.
Paul played a key role in defending the big total, taking five wickets to help the visitors secure the win.
Slower deliveries and yorkers prove effective
Paul said the pitch was good for batting, but a few deliveries gripped the surface. The West Indies bowlers made the most of those conditions by using slower balls.
“From the batters' perspective, the message we got after the first five overs was that it was a pretty good wicket. One or two balls were gripping, but other than that, it was pretty good,” Paul said in the post-match press conference.“As bowlers, the slower balls helped us here. On other wickets and at other grounds, we haven't been getting much grip, but it worked here,” he added.Paul struck at important moments during India's chase. He dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prince Yadav off successive deliveries before removing Axar Patel to seal the West Indies' victory.Explaining the bowling strategy, Paul said: “The game plan was to keep bowling into the wicket for as long as possible and execute our yorkers when we knew they were going for the big shots.”
Team meetings help Paul execute his plans
The 28-year-old pacer said detailed discussions and a clear understanding of individual roles helped him deliver under pressure.“Every team has its own game plans. We sit together and discuss them, and we have some pretty long team meetings. I knew what I wanted to do, what my field settings would be and what my plan was. Obviously, I won't share my plan, but I think I executed it pretty well,” he said.
No dew helped West Indies bowlers
Paul also pointed to the absence of dew as an important factor in the match.
He said the conditions helped the bowlers maintain a better grip on the ball while defending their total under lights.“Some pretty big scores have been chased in this series, but I think a key factor is that there was no dew (in Hyderabad). When there is dew, it becomes quite hard for teams bowling second. In the last game and this one, there was no dew, and I think we executed our plans perfectly,” he said.
Hope's century gives West Indies a big total
Paul credited captain Shai Hope's unbeaten 102 off 50 balls and the partnerships he built for giving the bowlers enough runs to defend.Shimron Hetmyer scored 33 off 12 deliveries, while Sherfane Rutherford remained unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls as West Indies posted 247 for three.Paul said the team's approach remained positive regardless of whether they batted first or chased a target.
“Every game is the same for us. Whether we are batting first or batting second, we try to be as positive as possible. On these wickets, you have to score big. We did not win the toss today.“But I think Captain Hope has been fantastic for us. The key partnerships he built gave us the runs we needed. I think the team bowled really well,” Paul said.Paul also spoke about the challenges bowlers face in T20 cricket, especially on pitches that favour batters and offer very little room for mistakes.“You can't be too hard on yourself as a bowler on these tracks. The margin for error is very, very thin. It all comes down to execution. It is about taking it one day at a time and sticking to the process.“As long as you try to follow the team's plans as much as possible, I don't think the staff will have a problem. You can't be too tough on yourself on these wickets,” he said.