Keemo Paul’s Five-Wicket Haul Helps West Indies Beat India in Hyderabad

West Indies pacer Keemo Paul credited smart use of slower deliveries after his side beat India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The visitors posted 247 for three and then bowled India out for 223, with Paul claiming five wickets to anchor the defence of a huge total.

Slower Balls and Yorkers Do the Damage

Paul said the pitch was good for batting, though a few deliveries gripped the surface. The bowlers exploited this by varying their pace. “One or two balls were gripping, but other than that, it was pretty good,” he said after the match. He added that slower balls had not worked as well at other grounds in the series. The plan was to keep bowling into the wicket for as long as possible and bring out yorkers when batters went for big shots.

During the chase, Paul removed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prince Yadav off successive deliveries, and later dismissed Axar Patel to seal the result. The 28-year-old said long team meetings gave every bowler clarity on roles and field settings, though he declined to reveal his exact plan. He also pointed out that the absence of dew helped bowlers defending a total under lights.

Hope’s Century Sets Up the Win

Paul praised captain Shai Hope, whose unbeaten 102 off 50 balls was built on key partnerships. Shimron Hetmyer struck 33 off 12 deliveries, while Sherfane Rutherford remained unbeaten on 49 off 26 balls. West Indies reached their total despite losing the toss.

Paul said the team stays positive whether batting first or second. He added that bowlers cannot be too hard on themselves on batting-friendly tracks, where the margin for error is very thin and everything comes down to execution.