CUTTACK, India (CMC) — Captain Kieron Pollard has underscored the importance of opener Shai Hope’s role in the one-day side, labelling the elegant stroke-maker as the “anchor” upon which West Indies built their innings.

Even though Hope boasts an excellent one-day average of nearly 53 from 71 games, his modest strike rate of only 74 has often drawn criticism from pundits.

However, Pollard endorsed the right-hander’s approach, pointing out it was key to the Caribbean side’s tactics, especially with several big-hitters already in the line-up.

“Sometimes we can get carried away by so much stats and so much data, we forget the importance of how we build a team at times,” Pollard said.

“You can’t only build a team with guys who play shots. You’ve got to have an anchor, you’ve got to have somebody holding one end. If you look at the way we have played cricket over the past few years, we have been losing a lot of wickets early up so you have to build a foundation first.

“You can’t build the top part of your house first and then look to build the bottom, so we have identified Shai as the person to build that foundation for us. When you look at his stats opening the batting they’re phenomenal and again, everyone has roles and responsibilities. If you look at all the guys around him, their strike rates are pretty high.”

Hope played a key role in Windies’ stunning victory in the opening match of the ongoing one-day series, when he struck an unbeaten 102 to help the visitors overhaul a target of 288 in Chennai.

His hundred came from 151 balls at a slow strike rate of 67 but it proved the ideal counter for Shimron Hetmyer’s breathtaking 139 from 106 deliveries with a strike rate of 131.

Importantly, Hope was there at the end to see West Indies over the line and to a crucial 1-0 lead in the series.

“It’s about building blocks, it’s about identifying areas where as a team you have fell down before and you need to fix and then you fix other areas,” Pollard stressed.

“As I said, it’s a work in progress for us, and we don’t want to get too detailed in the data and strike rate.”

West Indies failed to build on that success in Chennai, however, going down by 107 runs in face of a record run chase after India left them with a target of 388.

The Caribbean side will now take aim at Sunday’s decisive third One-Day International which could see them win their first series against India in 13 years and the first on the subcontinent in nearly two decades.

“We’re going to prepare well. We’re going to go back, go over the mistakes we would’ve made, try to correct it in terms of practising it, and try to perfect it and come out fighting as we have done throughout this entire series,” Pollard said.

“So nothing is going to change for us in terms of how we prepare, and the guys have been really, really good when it comes to that.”