Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], October 10 (ANI): India head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated his call for a more even contest between bat and ball in white-ball cricket after the high-scoring second T20I against West Indies, raising concerns over the impact of batting-friendly pitches on bowlers' careers.
"You don't want a good bat-and-ball competition?" Gambhir asked reporters during the post-match press conference in Ranchi, as per Cricinfo. "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," he added.
His comments came after West Indies chased down India's 250-run target with nine balls to spare, levelling the five-match series 1-1. The contest produced an aggregate of 501 runs and 33 sixes in 38.3 overs, with a flat surface and dew making life difficult for the bowlers.
Gambhir had raised similar concerns earlier after India chased down 406 against the West Indies in the second ODI in Guwahati, completing the task with 39 balls remaining.
Despite the conditions, the India head coach said the team would not use them as an excuse for the defeat and stressed the need to find solutions after failing to defend a substantial total.
"You don't shrug off any defeat," Gambhir said, as per Cricinfo. "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 out and find the way. Especially with the opposition having lost two wickets in the first over and then lost three wickets in the powerplay," he added.
"But again, credit to 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," he further added.
India made an impressive start with the ball, reducing West Indies to 5/2 in the first over and 58/3 inside the powerplay. However, Shai Hope's unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford's 84 off 37 deliveries turned the contest around, with the visitors recording their highest successful chase in T20 Internationals.
Mayank Yadav was a bright spot for India, claiming 3/36 in three overs. The fast bowler regularly clocked around 145kph and reached 149.5kph while dismissing Rovman Powell, having also removed Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer in the opening over.
Gambhir backed Mayank's decision to rely on his pace rather than resort to frequent variations.
"He is a fast bowler, he should bowl like a fast bowler," Gambhir said of Mayank's spell, as per Cricinfo. "He isn't a slower bowler. If you can bowl 150kph, bowl at 150kph, if you bowl at 120kph, bowl at 120kph. When you are playing as a fast bowler, it is your responsibility to bowl fast. And he did that today, getting success."
The Indian coach also credited Hope for guiding the visitors through the early setbacks and maintaining the scoring rate alongside Rutherford.
"Shai is a world-class cricketer," Gambhir said, as per Cricinfo. "We respect him for what he's done in white-ball cricket, not only in the 50-over format but in this format as well. His record speaks for him. What he did today, especially after losing two wickets [in the first over]. To continue batting at run-rate of 12-plus [an over] with Sherfane, just shows how good they are when the wicket is flat and there's dew. He batted deep which was important and in the end he finished the game. He was able to pace his innings really well."
Gambhir also defended the decision to promote Shivam Dube to No. 4, ahead of Shreyas Iyer, despite India's loss of momentum during a middle-overs passage in which they scored just 39 runs between overs 12 and 16.
"We've used him like this for a long period of time, even at the World Cup and before that. It was not just a one-off today. We've lost momentum today but we've gained a lot of momentum when he's gone at No. 4 and taken down opposition bowlers," Gambhir said.
"This is international cricket, sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. And more importantly, we've always been flexible with our batting line-up and we'll continue with it. I've said in T20 cricket only the openers are fixed," he concluded.
India and West Indies will move to Indore for the third T20I, scheduled less than 48 hours after the Ranchi contest, with the series level at 1-1. (ANI)
"You don't want a good bat-and-ball competition?": Head coach Gambhir calls for even contest after Ranchi run-fest
