Gautam Gambhir Raises Concerns Over Flat Pitches, Says Bowlers' Careers Are at Stake

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has once again raised concerns over batting-friendly pitches in white-ball cricket, warning that bowlers' careers are at stake when conditions offer little assistance to them. His remarks came after India suffered a defeat against West Indies in the second T20 International in Ranchi, where the visitors chased down a target of 251 with nine balls to spare.

The match witnessed a run-fest, with both teams scoring a combined 501 runs and hitting 33 sixes in 38.3 overs. Flat pitch conditions, dew and the relatively small boundaries made life difficult for the bowlers throughout the contest.

Gambhir had expressed similar concerns earlier in Guwahati after India chased down 406 runs in the second ODI with 39 balls remaining. He reiterated his demand for a fair contest between batters and bowlers, stressing that bowlers deserve conditions in which their skills can make a difference.

"You don't want a good bat-and-ball competition? What you want to see, that's also what we want to see. We also want to see an even contest," Gambhir said.

"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."

West Indies Overcome Early Setbacks to Chase Down 251

India made an excellent start with the ball, reducing West Indies to 5 for 2 in the opening over before the visitors slipped to 58 for 3 inside the powerplay. However, Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford turned the match around with an outstanding fourth-wicket partnership.

Hope remained unbeaten on 102 off just 45 deliveries, while Rutherford smashed 84 off 37 balls. Their partnership of 120 runs helped West Indies regain control before Romario Shepherd's unbeaten 34 off 13 balls guided the visitors to a comfortable victory.

The win marked West Indies' highest successful chase in T20 Internationals and levelled the five-match series at 1-1.

Despite the challenging bowling conditions, Gambhir insisted that India would analyse the defeat rather than use the pitch and dew as excuses.

"You don't shrug off any defeat. If you want to keep improving, you don't want to put anything under the carpet," he said.

Gambhir acknowledged the difficulties of bowling on a flat surface under heavy dew but emphasised that India must find ways to defend big totals.

He also praised the West Indies batters for maintaining an aggressive scoring rate despite losing three wickets early in the innings.

Gambhir Praises Mayank Yadav's Express Pace

Fast bowler Mayank Yadav emerged as one of the positives for India, claiming three wickets for 36 runs in his three overs. Bowling regularly at around 145 kmph, he touched 149.5 kmph while dismissing West Indies captain Rovman Powell.

Mayank also troubled Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer with his pace, dismissing both in the opening over. His performance earned praise from Gambhir, who urged the young fast bowler to rely on his natural strength.

"He is a fast bowler, he should bowl like a fast bowler. He isn't a slower bowler. If you can bowl 150kph, bowl at 150kph, if you bowl at 120kph, bowl at 120kph," Gambhir said.

The India coach added that Mayank's responsibility as a fast bowler was to attack with pace, and he was pleased to see the youngster achieve success by doing so.

However, India could not maintain the pressure after the early breakthroughs, allowing Hope and Rutherford to dominate the middle overs before Shepherd completed the chase.

Gambhir Defends Shivam Dube's Promotion to No. 4

India's batting innings also featured a slowdown between overs 12 and 16, when the team managed only 39 runs. The passage coincided with Shivam Dube's promotion to No. 4 ahead of Shreyas Iyer.

Gambhir defended the decision, explaining that Dube had previously performed well in the role and that India would continue to maintain flexibility in their batting order.

"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," Gambhir said.

He acknowledged that India had lost momentum during that phase but pointed out that Dube had also helped the team accelerate in previous matches.

Gambhir reiterated that India would continue experimenting with batting positions in T20 cricket, with only the opening positions considered fixed.

India Look to Bounce Back in Indore

Gambhir admitted that India had considerable work to do, particularly when facing a dangerous opponent after losing the toss in conditions that favour batting.

"The bottom line is we couldn't defend 250. They batted extremely well. They deserved to win and we still need a lot of work to be done when you're playing against a dangerous team, especially when you lose the toss," he said.

India and West Indies will now travel to Indore for the third T20I, which is scheduled to take place in less than 48 hours. With the series level at 1-1, India will look to address their bowling concerns and regain the lead, while West Indies will aim to carry forward the momentum from their remarkable run chase.