Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Coaches criticize Guwahati pitch after record India chase
India and the West Indies played a one-day cricket match on a very easy batting pitch.
India chased 406 runs and won with 39 balls still left.
The match had 811 runs and five centuries.
Shubman Gill scored a double century for India.
India’s coach said the pitch did not give bowlers enough help.
The West Indies bowling coach agreed that fast bowlers and spinners had very few options.
Some coaches want pitches where batting and bowling are more evenly balanced.
Kotak said India’s players should still practice for different conditions before the next World Cup.
India chased 406 against the West Indies with 39 balls remaining in the second ODI.
The match produced 811 runs and five centuries, including Shubman Gill’s double century.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the pitch offered little assistance to fast bowlers or spinners.
West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul said the flat conditions left bowlers with little margin for error.
Kotak said India must prepare to adapt to tougher conditions before the 2027 ODI World Cup.
- Who
- India and the West Indies, with comments from Sitanshu Kotak, Ravi Rampaul and Gautam Gambhir.
- What
- India completed a record-breaking 406-run chase in an ODI while coaches criticized the batting-friendly pitch.
- When
- Wednesday, during the second ODI.
- Where
- The ACA Stadium in Guwahati.
- Why
- The pitch and quick outfield heavily favored batting and offered little assistance to bowlers.
Pitch Critics
Contextual View
Balance between bat and ball
Pitch Critics
Gautam Gambhir said the match was more about batting than cricket and argued that bowlers need something to work with.
Contextual View
Sitanshu Kotak said perfectly predictable pitches are difficult to produce and that rising batting standards may also explain increasingly high scores.
Value of the high-scoring match
Pitch Critics
The coaches said an extremely flat pitch was unfair to bowlers and left them with few options.
Contextual View
Kotak acknowledged that the chase was outstanding for records and spectators while saying the pitch ideally should produce a more balanced contest.
Preparation for future tournaments
Pitch Critics
Playing repeatedly on batting-friendly surfaces could raise concerns about whether India is ready for tougher conditions at the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Contextual View
Kotak expressed confidence that India can adapt, noting the team will encounter different conditions in New Zealand and elsewhere.
- India's target
- 406 runs
- Winning margin in time
- India finished the chase with 39 balls to spare
- Total runs
- 811 runs were scored in the match
- Centuries
- Five centuries were scored
- Highest individual score
- Shubman Gill made a double century
- Pitch assessment
- Coaches said the surface offered little help to fast bowlers or spinners
- Future preparation
- India is scheduled to play five games in New Zealand before hosting Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in home ODIs