India head coach Gautam Gambhir stressed the importance of a balanced contest between bat and ball after India failed to defend their imposing total of 249/5 against the West Indies in the second T20I in Ranchi on Friday.
Gambhir said the Indian bowlers’ careers were also at stake and urged the team to find ways to succeed despite challenging conditions.
The West Indies chased down the target of 250 in just 18.3 overs, winning the match by six wickets and levelling the five-match T20I series 1-1. Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford’s explosive 84 off 37 deliveries powered the visitors to a remarkable victory.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gambhir emphasised that the team also wanted a fair contest between batters and bowlers, particularly on high-scoring surfaces. “Who does not want a good competition between bat and ball? Of course. What you want, we also want. The India coach acknowledged that bowling in conditions involving dew and a flat pitch was difficult. However, he maintained that the team needed to adapt and improve its ability to defend big totals. “We are a world-champion team, so we want to keep improving. And obviously, these are tough conditions to bowl in; we know that. He acknowledged the West Indies’ batting performance while stressing that India needed to find solutions against dangerous opponents. “I don’t blame anyone or anything. Gambhir described Chase’s spell as a game-changing performance, highlighting how the spinner varied his lines and lengths to trouble India’s batters.
Despite India’s defeat, Gambhir declined to single out any player for the failure to defend 249/5. The bottom line is that we could not defend 250,” Gambhir said. Earlier, India posted 249/5 in their 20 overs, with Sanju Samson leading the scoring with 82 off 41 balls. Ishan Kishan contributed 43, while captain Shreyas Iyer smashed 40 off 18 deliveries and Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 44 off 18 balls.
If you only want to see sixes and fours, we want to see that too,” Gambhir said. Obviously, on flat wickets with dew, it is tough, but we need to figure out a way to try and stop the opposition,” Gambhir said.
