Nayar says India must dismiss Shai Hope to stop West Indies, urges变化 in tactics before Bengaluru T20I decider

Nayar says India must find a way to dismiss Shai Hope

Former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar has said India need to get Shai Hope out early if they are to stop West Indies, with the visiting captain having been the difference between the two sides in the ongoing white-ball series. The T20I series is locked at 2-2 ahead of Saturday's decider in Bengaluru.

Hope's dominance in the series

Hope has scored 539 runs in seven white-ball innings, including four centuries, across three ODIs and four T20Is. His 261 runs in four T20Is are already the most by any visiting batter in a bilateral series in India. India have lost all three matches in which they failed to dismiss him, with the batter scoring unbeaten centuries in each of them.

Tactical suggestions

Nayar said the think tank must come together to plan how to stop West Indies scoring in the powerplay. "The West Indies have batted well, and in the previous match, they bowled well too. But you have to find a way to get Shai Hope out. You have to find a way to stop the West Indies from scoring runs in the powerplay, and that's where the think tank comes together, plans, makes strategies, and puts all that together; then you can get the result you desire," Nayar told JioStar.

He also said India should vary their lines and lengths, as Hope has found deliveries aimed at the stumps easy to score off. "When you are bowling at the stumps, it's been very easy for him to score runs, which means sometimes inconsistency is the best consistency to have against Shai Hope."

Nayar added that India must plan to make Hope play more behind square and use the short ball more against him.

Praise for the West Indies captain

Nayar lavished praise on Hope, who is also captaining and keeping wicket for the side. "After a long time, such a player has come to India, scoring runs, captaining, wicket-keeping as well, and consistently scoring runs with the bat. When he scores runs, the team wins, and that is the hallmark of a terrific and great player who scores runs and makes sure the team wins. He is using his craft and finesse as well as power, and that is one thing that Shai Hope has done brilliantly."