There Was Not A Lot For The Bowlers, Wish It Was Equally Balanced, Says Kotak On Guwahati Pitch

There was not a lot for the bowlers, wish it was equally balanced, says Kotak on Guwahati pitch (Guwahati: India vs West Indies - 2nd ODI)

ODI World Cup: Expressing disappointment over the stark imbalance between bat and ball during India’s record-breaking run chase of 406 against the West Indies, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted that the pitch at the ACA Stadium practically offered no assistance to the bowling unit.

India chased down a massive 406 with 39 balls to spare in the second ODI on Wednesday, in a match that saw five centuries, including a double century from skipper Shubman Gill, and 811 runs being scored in all.

"There was not a lot for the bowlers. We wish that it is equally balanced. Maybe on a 300 runs wicket, other team had to fight hard to get that 300, 320 (is ideal). The outfield was quick and 20, 30, 40 runs go from there. Particularly in this game, yes, you do feel for the bowlers," said Kotak at the conclusion of the game.

He reckoned India could have avoided conceding 400-plus runs to the West Indies, though he refrained from blaming the pitch curators directly. "See, we keep talking about pitches. But, let me tell you, I don't think anyone can make a perfect pitch in the world.

"No one can make a wicket and say that it will have only 250 or 300 runs. It is possible that the curator tries to make a match with 250 or 300 runs and the wicket spins or seams more and the team gets out for 150 runs. So, he will get criticism in that too.

"Sometimes I also wonder that, say in the 1983 World Cup, 180 runs in 60 overs were lot. Today, it looks like 400 is also not enough. So, whether it is only the wicket to blame or standard of batting is going high, the way guys are batting, it's debatable," he added.

His thoughts were echoed by West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul, who pointed out that such pitches leave little margin for error. "Flat pitches are everywhere now. This is flatter, more for batting, because it allows nothing for the spinners, nothing for the fast bowlers. Obviously whoever scores more runs wins the game, and it’s tough for bowlers coming into these conditions and coming out without any set of wickets."

With India scheduled to tour New Zealand shortly before hosting Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in home ODIs, questions were raised on whether playing on such batting paradises could lead to a false sense of security ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Kotak, though, expressed complete confidence in the batting group's capability to adapt to tougher surfaces. "About preparation, I would say we will be playing five games in New Zealand. I have been to South Africa. Some wickets will be similar to our conditions.

“They also want to play on decent wickets because if you give uneven wickets in white-ball cricket, and if it is a low scoring one-day game, nobody wants that. So, wickets may not be like 350, 400. It could be 300, 300+. But it depends. So, we should be preparing for whichever conditions are present."

While talking to the broadcasters, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was also critical of the pitch on offer for the second ODI. “Look, if I have to be absolutely honest, I feel I think there has to be a bit of more contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket – but this is not cricket, this is only batting.

“Because imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. Obviously, for the records it’s outstanding, for the crowd it’s outstanding, and for the broadcaster it’s outstanding.

While talking to the broadcasters, India head coach Gautam Gambhir was also critical of the pitch on offer for the second ODI. “Look, if I have to be absolutely honest, I feel I think there has to be a bit of more contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket – but this is not cricket, this is only batting.

Article Source: IANS