CHENNAI: Shortly after West Indies completed the second highest T20I chase against India in Ranchi to level the series 1-1, head coach Gautam Gambhir once again expressed his desire to play on sporting pitches that offer a balance between bat and ball.
On a pitch where more than 500 (501) runs were scored in less than 40 overs, bowlers from both teams struggled with dew and batters cashed in. Gambhir, who had called out the flat pitch in Guwahati during the ODI series, once again raised the question. "Who doesn't want a good competition between bat and ball?," he quipped.
"Of course. What you want, we also want. 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? They aren't foreign bowlers; their careers are also at stake. They also worked hard to sit in this dressing room; it's not like they didn't work hard. They have also worked hard. So if there is an even competition, it will be good, and better cricket will be seen," he added.
Though the conditions were extremely batter-friendly, Gambhir reiterated that they would not shrug off the loss but rather try and take the learnings and improve. "We are a world-champion team, so we want to keep improving. And obviously, these are tough conditions to bowl; we know that obviously, flat wickets, with the dew — obviously it's tough, but we need to figure out a way to try and stop the opposition, especially when they lost two wickets in the first over, and three in the first six. Obviously, it was tough. But again, credit to West Indies, the way Shai Hope batted. We know that they are world-class batters, especially in this format, so obviously it was tough. But, we're going to keep improving," Gambhir explained.
The former captain said that there is no reason to blame anyone. He acknowledged that India could not defend 250 and will have to find ways to do so, especially when the toss doesn't go their way. "I think the bottom line is that we could not defend 250. They batted extremely well. They deserved to win, and we still need a lot of work to be done because when you're playing against dangerous teams like the West Indies, we need to figure out how to defend, especially when you lose the toss. So, it is not about playing — because the toss is not in your hand," he said.
