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India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has once again raised concerns over flat pitches in white-ball cricket. Gautam Gambhir warned that bowlers are putting their careers at risk when conditions offer little help after the second T20I between India and West Indies in Ranchi.
Actually, the Men in Blue have failed to defend 250 runs against the West Indies in the second T20I in Ranchi, where the touring side secured a stunning six-wicket victory with nine balls remaining.
This game saw both teams score a combined 501 runs and hit 33 sixes in just 38.3 overs, with a flat pitch, heavy dew, and a small ground making life tough for the bowlers. Earlier, Shane Watson identifies Gautam Gambhir’s biggest problem as India struggle for consistency.
Gautam Gambhir slams batting-friendly pitches after Ranchi thriller
Gautam Gambhir believes that the game of cricket becomes more exciting when batters and bowlers get a fair chance to perform. He pointed out that bowlers work extremely hard to reach the international level, and conditions that heavily favour batters can put their careers at risk.
This is the second time in less than two weeks that the Indian head coach has spoken about the need for a better balance between bat and ball. Earlier, he had raised the same concern after India chased down 406 runs against South Africa in the second ODI in Guwahati.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gautam Gambhir said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "You don't want a good bat-and-ball competition? What you want to see, that's also what we want to see. We also want to see an even contest. These bowlers are our bowlers, not someone else's bowlers. Their careers are at stake; they have worked hard to sit in this dressing room. If it's an even competition, we'll see a better game of cricket.”
Gautam Gambhir refuses to make excuses, credits Shai and Sherfane for WI’s stunning chase
However, Gambhir also stressed that India can’t ignore their big loss to West Indies despite difficult bowling conditions in Ranchi. He stressed that a world-champion side must keep finding ways to improve instead of making excuses after a loss. Amid this, Top 10 highest run-chases in T20 cricket history, ft. West Indies' Ranchi win vs India.
Gambhir further opined, “You don't shrug off any defeat. If you want to keep improving, you don't want to put anything under the carpet. We are a world-champion team, so we want to keep improving. These are obviously tough conditions to bowl—we know flat wickets with the dew—obviously it's tough, but we need to figure it out and find the way.”
The coach gave credit to Shai Hope, who smashed unbeaten 102 off just 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford (84 from 37 deliveries) for India’s crushing defeat in Ranchi. He said, “Credit to the West Indies; the way Shai Hope and Sherfane batted, we know they are world-class batters, especially in the format. It was tough on us, but we're going to keep improving.”
Gautam Gambhir defends Shivam Dube's promotion ahead of Shreyas Iyer
India's batting strategy also came under the scanner after the team managed only 39 runs between overs 12 and 16. Shivam Dube was promoted to No. 4 ahead of the skipper Shreyas Iyer, but the move did not help India maintain their momentum during that period.
Gambhir defended the decision, explaining that Dube has previously succeeded in that role, including during the T20 World Cup and before the tournament. He added that India's batting order would continue to remain flexible, with only the opening positions fixed in T20 cricket.
He signed off by saying, “This is international cricket; sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. And more importantly, we've always been flexible with our batting lineup, and we'll continue with it. I've said in T20 cricket only the openers are fixed.”
