'This is not cricket': Gautam Gambhir on Guwahati pitch
What's the story
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has criticized the pitch used for the second ODI against West Indies at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium. His comments followed the high-scoring match that saw India chase down a mammoth 406 in just 43.3 overs. The encounter saw a total of 811 runs being scored, with Shubman Gill scoring an incredible double-ton. But Gambhir felt there was an imbalance between bat and ball on the day.
Coach's perspective
Pitch conditions in Guwahati
After the match, Gambhir stressed the need for a better contest between bat and ball.
"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," he said.
He further added that "this is not cricket, this is only batting," highlighting his disappointment with the pitch conditions in Guwahati.
Match analysis
Bowlers struggle to make an impact
The bowlers from both teams struggled to make an impact on the Guwahati pitch.
India's pace attack conceded runs at an economy rate of over nine, taking just three wickets.
West Indies' four seamers also had economy rates of above eight, with two going for more than 10 runs per over and taking just two wickets between them.
Support for bowlers
Can't be hard on bowlers, Gambhir says
Gambhir defended the bowlers, saying they should be judged on their execution rather than their figures.
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."
He further explained that with five fielders inside and two new balls, bowlers don't have many options to work with.
Debut decision
Why Nabi got a debut ahead of Reddy
Gambhir also explained his decision to hand a debut to Auqib Nabi instead of resting Nitish Kumar Reddy.
He said they could have given Auqib a chance in the next match too but wanted him to play under the pressure of winning a series.
"We want to put bowlers under pressure," he added, stressing on the importance of exposing young players in tough situations for their development.