The second ODI between India and the West Indies at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium here, could go down as one of the epics in cricketing folklore and was certainly pleasing for the fans, with India breaking several records while chasing down a mammoth 406 on the back of a double century from Shubman Gill and a century from Rohit Sharma.
But India head coach Gautam Gambhir feels differently.
For the former India opener, the run-fest in Guwahati only highlighted the need for a better balance between bat and ball, with bowlers getting little assistance from a surface that produced more than 800 runs and five centuries.
“There has to be a bit more of a contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket — but this is not cricket, this is only batting,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
“Imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. For the records it’s outstanding, for the crowd it’s outstanding, for the broadcaster it’s outstanding, but as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well,” the former Delhi batter added.
Gambhir said bowlers should not be judged purely by their figures when conditions provide virtually no assistance.
“When you bowl on this kind of a wicket, it’s not fair for the bowlers. So we’ve got to give something to the bowlers so there’s at least something which the bowlers can work with,” he said.
“You can’t be hard on bowlers, because sometimes bowling figures are such that they haven’t bowled as poorly as their figures suggest.”
The India coach also pointed to the demands already placed on bowlers in modern ODI cricket, including fielding restrictions, two new balls and increasingly aggressive batting. He believes pitches offering some assistance would help create a more even contest.
India keen to test options
With the 2027 ODI World Cup approaching, Gambhir said India need to use the current period to assess different players and combinations.
“Right now is the time for us to try different options,” he said.
“Just like Auqib (Nabi) got an opportunity, we will similarly try, at least until the Zimbabwe series, to give other people an opportunity and see what they can offer us in this format.”
India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the final ODI scheduled for New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Prasidh ruled out of third ODI
India will be without fast bowler Prasidh Krishna for the third ODI after he sustained a left hamstring injury during the Guwahati match. The men’s selection Committee named Anshul Kamboj as his replacement, with the pacer set to join the squad in Chandigarh.
India’s updated ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (VC, WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj.
Washington withdrawn from T20I squad
Meanwhile, spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar has also been withdrawn from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against the West Indies. The decision was taken with the Test series against New Zealand in mind.
With the Ranji Trophy season beginning on October 11, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner will return to domestic cricket and get an opportunity to prepare for the red-ball series. Naman Dhir has been named as his replacement in the T20I squad.
Washington is currently in Japan for the Asian Games, as defending champions India mauled Sri Lanka in the semifinal to set up a gold-medal clash with Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh by six wickets in the other semifinal.
India’s updated T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir.