Pujara hails Shai Hope's ton as WI beat India in 4th T20I

"Doesn't rely on blind-slogging, picks his gaps": Pujara hails WI skipper Hope's ton after 4th T20I at Hyderabad

Mumbai, October 15

Skipper Hope continued to run riot against India, slamming his fourth century across the ODI and T20I leg of the tour in the fourth T20I, taking WI to 247/3 in their 20 overs, a mountain which proved to be too big to climb for India's star-studded batting. Hope's game, in contrast with many T20I specialists, looked extremely tidy, with his ability to pick gaps and hit sixes without taking big risks standing out. The WI skipper slammed 102* in 50 balls, with four boundaries and nine sixes and the statistics do not show how risk-free and effortless Hope has become in T20Is after a rough few years early in his career.

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Cricket Live', Pujara said about Hope that once he is set, he is a "hard player to stop".

"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," he said.

On the five-wicket haul by Keemo Paul, who changed the complexion of the game with wickets of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the same over after a rocketing start by India, Pujara said that "the win was all about Paul" and with the series-level, the two-time world champions have sent a message that they are here to win the series.

"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 said.

Pujara saids that even after the powerplay, Indian bowlers struggled with their lengths and did not show their variations. He also hailed the WI batters for puttting the pressure on Indian bowlers, with Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav conceding 52 each in their four over spells.

"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," he said.

"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 signed off.

While Hope (102* off 50 balls, with four boundaries and nine sixes) registered his fourth century of the India tour, including his second in the T20I leg, Keemo (5/41) got crucial wickets right from the start. For WI, Shimron Hetmyer (33 in 12 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Sherfane Rutherford (49* in 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes) also contributed important knocks with the bat, taking them to 247/3.

After a fifty from Sanju Samson (56 in 22 balls, with six fours and four sixes), India found themselves playing the catch-up game. A 70-run stand between Tilak Varma (43 off 25 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 in 20 balls, with a four and four sixes) gave India hope; India's hopes were dimmed with their dismissals. Arshdeep Singh retired hurt in the middle of the final over after a hit on his arm, leaving India 25 runs short of the target.

— ANI