Gautam Gambhir, head coach of India, has said that he wants cricket pitches that are fair in nature in which batsman and ball are hit and picked up by the ball for the first time in the final hour of the two-day game between India and the West Indies in Ranchi. The visitors have one more game in hand and the home team still have questions to raise when their T20I team goes to the field.
The Ranchi match was dominated by the batters with 501 runs scored in less than 40 overs. Bowlers from both sides were not able to contain the opposition as favourable batting conditions and dew made their task more difficult.
After the match Gambhir once again stressed the importance of sporting surfaces which offer bowlers an opportunity to compete against aggressive batting.
“Who doesn't want a good competition between bat and ball?” Gambhir said, underlining that a balanced contest would lead to better cricket. His comments followed previous criticism of the flat pitch in Guwahati during India's ODI series, which is why he keeps talking about difficult situations that both batters and bowlers have to contend with.
Gambhir wants a fair fight between bat and ball.
Gambhir said while high-scoring matches and boundaries can entice fans, an even game is also important and that the cricket should still be played for the betterment of the game in general. He added that India’s bowlers are also to be taken into consideration as are the batters who represent the country.
“If you only want to see sixes and fours, then we also want to see that. If you want an even contest, then we also want an even contest, because bowlers are our bowlers too, right?” Gambhir said.
The India coach said bowlers work hard to earn their place in the national team and that their career is dependent on the opportunities they are given to perform and there are so many opportunities they have to perform. The type of conditions that favor batters are so favorable that bowlers may not be able to show their abilities, he said.
He added that a more balanced surface would allow both departments to contribute meaningfully and produce better cricket. Gambhir’s comments also brought into focus the current debate in T20 cricket about when high-scoring games need to be considered as opposed to conditions that allow for bowling attacks.
The Ranchi match illustrated the challenge. 501 runs in less than 40 overs, both teams' bowlers had to contend with a demanding task (e.g. dew conditions in the game).
India Could Not Defend 250 Runs
And Gambhir made it clear that India would not use the pitch or the dew as an excuse for the defeat. The team would analyse the match, find areas to improve and try to find solutions for the same situation, he said.
Gambhir conceded that India had been unable to defend a total of 250 runs and said the team needed to know how to stop dangerous opposition batting line-ups. He also spoke of the challenge in bowling on flat wickets when dew makes it difficult to control the ball.
The coach stressed that India needs to learn to defend huge totals when conditions are not favourable in the field; they are very important in T20 cricket, where a few overs of aggressive batting can change the course of the match very quickly.
Gambhir said the team is a world champion team so we want to keep getting better and we will continue to work for the best and we will continue to improve.
He also gave credit to the West Indies for their performance, especially the way Shai Hope batted. Gambhir noted that the Caribbean side has world-class batters in the shortest format and their ability to take advantage of the conditions made the chase difficult for India.
Gambhir Gives Credit To West Indies
Instead of putting the blame on individual players Gambhir said the West Indies deserved the victory. That the visitors' chase went so well just demonstrated their response and the fact they were able to make the most of a high-scoring chance.
India must focus on its own deficiencies instead of looking at the team’s own failings rather than turning to someone else for blame, the Indian coach told me. He said that the challenge was to come up with strategies that could be used against a team with good batting, especially if the toss didn’t go India’s way.
“The bottom line is that we could not defend 250. They batted extremely well. They deserved to win,” Gambhir said.
His comments were in line with the accountability and betterment, as he admitted afterward. They liked batters, but India’s bowling team still needed to find a way to be able to put the opposition in check and keep the total high.
In addition Gambhir spoke of the importance of preparing for when the team cannot control the toss. In a match where dew is present, captains and bowlers may have multiple issues with keeping a target.
India Should Learn From Ranchi Defeat
With the series presently at 1-1, India will now be able to learn from the Ranchi encounter going into the remaining T20Is. The result has served as an example of the depth of the West Indies batting line-up and the difficulty India has when bowling in bad conditions.
Gambhir's comments suggest that the team's approach will be towards improvement rather than dwelling on the defeat. India will have to decide on bowling plans that are effective in the game of high scoring chase and have strategies that work even when the conditions are favourable to the opponent.
The coach’s call for a fair match between the bat and ball has also brought out the importance of pitch preparation in modern cricket. T20 games are often associated with heavy batsmanship and lots of boundaries and Gambhir believes bowlers also need to have a chance to impact on the results.
The immediate priority for India will be to learn from the loss and improve its ability to defend big totals. The Ranchi defeat has been an example that 250 could not be enough for victory when an opposition batting line-up finds its rhythm.
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