Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has credited Shai Hope's composure and precise shot selection as the primary reason behind the West Indies' batting dominance over India in the ongoing white-ball series. Speaking after the visitors' latest win, Pujara also highlighted Keemo Paul's explosive bowling intervention as the decisive turning point of the match.

Pujara on Shai Hope's Batting Masterclass

Pujara was effusive in his praise for the West Indies wicketkeeper-batter, pointing out that Hope's effectiveness stems from a methodical rather than reckless approach. '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,' Pujara said in an interaction with JioStar.

The former India Test stalwart also noted Hope's proficiency against spin on a challenging surface. '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,' Pujara added. Hope's four hundreds on this tour are now the most by any batter in a single tour of India, underscoring his phenomenal impact in both the T20I and white-ball formats.

Keemo Paul's Match-Winning Bowling Spell

While Hope dominated with the bat, Pujara reserved particular acclaim for Keemo Paul, whose twin-pronged burst reshaped the contest. Paul dismissed Sanju Samson with his very first delivery — caught at deep backward square-leg — before removing Ishan Kishan in the same over. He then returned in the 19th over to complete a three-wicket over that sealed India's fate.

'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... 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,' Pujara said. He noted that with the last two games being must-wins for the West Indies, the victory also served as a 'strong message that they are here to win.'

West Indies Batters Expose India's Bowling Gaps

Pujara identified Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford alongside Hope as key architects of the West Indies batting performance, collectively applying relentless pressure that left Indian bowlers with virtually no margin for error. The visitors attacked aggressively in the powerplay and sustained that intensity through the middle and death overs.

'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,' Pujara observed. He specifically pointed to Naman Dhir as a bowler who came under early pressure, with West Indies batters reading his lengths quickly and punishing any deviation.

What India Must Fix Ahead of Bengaluru

Looking ahead to the next match in Bengaluru, Pujara urged the Indian bowling unit to demonstrate greater discipline and variation. '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 said.

This comes amid a broader pattern of India's white-ball bowling attack struggling to adapt mid-match against teams that counter-attack early. Whether the hosts can recalibrate before the Bengaluru fixture will be critical to their chances of avoiding further damage to the series.