India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has once again voiced his concerns about his bowling unit, calling for greater equilibrium between batting and bowling prowess.
These remarks emerged following the 2nd T20I clash against the West Indies in Ranchi on Friday, where the visiting team effortlessly pursued a target of 250. The playing conditions became treacherous for Indian bowlers as heavy dew transformed the ball into an uncontrollable object. Shai Hope, commanding the Windies outfit, delivered a masterclass with an impressive unbeaten 102 from just 45 deliveries, steering his team to victory with six wickets remaining and nine balls unused.
The West Indies suffered early setbacks when Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer fell in the opening over to Mayank Yadav’s fiery pace attack. Rovman Powell subsequently combined with Hope in a 53-run partnership. Crucially, Hope’s explosive 120-run fourth-wicket alliance with Sherfane Rutherford kept the Windies ahead of the required run rate, and ultimately Hope alongside Romario Shephard (34*) sealed the chase, leveling the five-match series at 1-1.
Recall that following the 2nd ODI last month, where India successfully chased 406 against the West Indies, Gambhir had bluntly criticized the pitch conditions in Guwahati, declaring: “It was not cricket. Just batting.”
When questioned on Friday about whether the team management desired a more competitive balance between bat and ball, the former Indian opener responded accordingly. ‘Who doesn’t want a good competition between bat and ball? Of course. What you want, we also want. If you only want to see sixes and fours, we want to see that too. If you want an even contest, then we also want an even contest, because bowlers are our bowlers too, right?’
“They aren’t foreign bowlers; their careers are also at stake. They also worked hard to sit in this dressing room; it’s not like they didn’t work hard. They have also worked hard. So if there is an even competition, it will be good, and better cricket will be seen,” he added.
Gambhir, nevertheless, dismissed suggestions that the coin toss proved decisive, insisting teams must develop strategies for bowling effectively when dew is present and the pitch offers minimal grip. The West Indies had won the toss and elected to field first. India subsequently accumulated 249/5, with Sanju Samson (82), Ishan Kishan (43), Shreyas Iyer (40), and Tilak Varma (44*) all making significant batting contributions for the home side.
‘We are a world-champion team, so we want to keep improving. And obviously, these are tough conditions to bowl; we know that obviously, flat wickets, with the dew, obviously it’s tough, but we need to figure out a way to try and stop the opposition, especially when they lost two wickets in the first over, and three in the first six,’ said Gambhir.
‘Obviously, it was tough. But again, credit to West Indies, the way Shai Hope batted. We know that they are world-class batters, especially in this format, so obviously it was tough. But we’re going to keep improving. The bottom line is that we could not defend 250. They batted extremely well. They deserved to win, and we still have a lot of work to do. When you’re playing against dangerous teams like the West Indies, we need to figure out how to defend, especially when you lose the toss,” he added.