Speaking to the broadcaster after the game, Gambhir said what fans witnessed in Guwahati on Wednesday was not cricket. The coach called for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and state bodies to bring better balance between the bat and the ball. India head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to hide his frustration even as his team rode on Shubman Gill ‘s double hundred against West Indies in the second ODI to win the contest by 8 wickets. Chasing a target of 406 runs, India overhauled the total with 6.3 overs to spare.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised the batting-friendly pitch, calling for better balance between bat and ball to support bowlers in future matches.
“We could have given Auqib a chance in the next match too when it’s a dead rubber, but in a dead rubber, you don’t have that pressure which comes with the pressure of winning a series. And we all know that the World Cup is all about pressure. “Because imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. Because i have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well, obviously, for the records it’s outstanding, for the crowd it’s outstanding, for the broadcaster it’s outstanding, but if you ask me as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach,. Because sometimes bowling figures are such that they haven’t bowled as poorly as their figures suggest, “Often you can’t be hard on bowlers,. Because the margin is very small. Because besides that, with five fielders inside, two new balls, and the kind of power-hitting there is now, bowlers don’t really have many options, plus, I think you can only bowl in good areas. Because the World Cup comes once in four years, so we want to put bowlers under pressure,” said the India head coach, cricket isn’t going to change like that, only the pressure will be different.
Virat Kohli , who had scored a century in the first ODI, made 29 off 19 balls before falling, but Gill remained unbeaten, and Ruturaj Gaikwad ‘s 31 off 37 helped India complete the chase. India handed a debut to Auqib Nabi despite holding a 1-0 lead, and Gambhir said exposing young bowlers to pressure situations was part of India’s preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“Look, if I have to be absolutely honest, I feel I think there has to be a bit of more contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket – but this is not cricket, this is only batting,” Gambhir told the broadcaster Star Sports after the game. Gambhir, however, said the bowling figures should not be viewed in isolation when assessing bowlers in such conditions. “The first thing is that you need some sympathy and a bit of margin for the bowlers,” he told Star Sports, according to Cricinfo.
