‘The message we got after first 5 overs’: How West Indies’ clever ‘plan’ abandoned Team India in 4th T20I

West Indies scored 247 for three before India were bowled out for 223. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: West Indies pacer Keemo Paul said his side made good use of slower deliveries 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 themselves

Paul said the pitch was good for batting but a few deliveries clamped down on the surface. The West Indies bowlers made the most of these conditions by using slower balls.“From the batsmen’s point of view, the message we got after the first five overs was that it was a pretty good wicket. One or two balls were tight but other than that it was pretty good,” Paul said at the post-match press conference.“As bowlers, the slower balls helped us here. We didn’t catch much on other wickets and on other pitches, but it worked here,” he added.Paul intervened at important moments during India’s chase. He dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prince Yadav off successive deliveries before removing Axar Patel to seal West Indies’ victory.Explaining the bowling strategy, Paul said, “The game plan was to keep the bowling in the wicket for as long as possible and execute our yorkers when we knew they were going for big shots.”

Team meetings help Paul realize his plans

The 28-year-old pacer said the detailed discussions and clear understanding of individual roles helped him under pressure.“Every team has their own game plans. We sit together and discuss them and have some pretty long team meetings. I knew what I wanted to do, what I was going to have on the field 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 the West Indies bowlers

Paul also pointed to the absence of dew as an important factor in the match. He said the conditions helped bowlers maintain a better grip on the ball while defending their total under the lights.“There have been some pretty big score chases in this series, but I think the key factor is that there was no dew (in Hyderabad). When there is dew, it is quite difficult for teams to bowl second. There was no dew in the last game and this one and I think we executed our plans perfectly,” he said.

A century of hope gives West Indies a big total

Paul credited captain Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 50 balls and the partnership 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 attitude remained positive whether they were batting first or chasing the target.“Every game is the same for us. Whether we bat first or second, we try to be as positive as possible. You have to score a lot on these wickets. We didn’t win the toss today.”“But I think Hope’s captain has been fantastic for us. The key partnerships he’s built have given us the runs we’ve needed. I think the team has played really well,” Paul said.Paul also spoke about the challenges bowlers face in T20 cricket, especially on pitches that favor batsmen and offer very little room for error.“You can’t be too hard on yourself as a bowler on these tracks. The margin for error is very, very thin. It’s all about execution. It’s 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 hard on yourself in these wickets,” he said.