Keemo Paul's clever slower-ball plan stumps India as West Indies win 4th T20I in Hyderabad by 24 runs

Hyderabad heroics hand Windies series-levelling win

West Indies outthought and out-executed India in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday, posting 247 for three and then bowling the hosts out for 223 to win by 24 runs. At the heart of the visitors' defence was pacer Keemo Paul, whose five-wicket haul turned a tense chase into a comfortable victory.

Paul's slower-ball blueprint

Paul, 28, said the surface at Hyderabad was good for batting but offered just enough grip to make slower deliveries a potent weapon — something that had not worked for his side on other grounds this series. The messaging from the batters early on suggested a true deck, but the bowlers found a way to exploit the odd gripping ball.

“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.”

Paul struck at the most decisive moments of India's chase, removing Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prince Yadav off successive deliveries before prising out Axar Patel to seal the win. The plan, he explained, was brutally simple: keep banging the ball into the wicket and unleash yorkers when the batters committed to their shots.

“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.”

Long team meetings and a clear head

The pacer credited detailed pre-match discussion and a clear understanding of individual roles for helping him deliver under pressure. He refused to reveal specifics but insisted the execution spoke for itself.

“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.

Paul also offered a note of empathy for bowlers in the shortest format, where margin for error is razor-thin on batting-friendly surfaces. “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,” he said.

Absence of dew proved decisive

A crucial, and often overlooked, factor was the lack of dew under the lights. Paul pointed out that big chases have been a feature of the series, but the dry Hyderabad evening allowed his bowlers to retain grip on the ball and control the death overs.

“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 blistering hundred sets up the total

Paul was quick to share the credit with the batters, singling out captain Shai Hope's unbeaten 102 off just 50 balls. Shimron Hetmyer smashed 33 off 12 deliveries and Sherfane Rutherford finished unbeaten on 49 off 26 as the Windies piled up 247 for three. Paul stressed the team's mindset is relentlessly positive regardless of whether they bat first or chase.

“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.

Series locked ahead of decider

The result, reported earlier on October 15, levelled the five-match series and set up a decider. That coverage noted it was the first time West Indies had defeated India on Indian soil while defending a total in T20Is, after six failed attempts — underlining just how significant Paul's defence of 247 proved to be.