BATTING VERSUS BATTING

 

Image Credit: CricInfo.

Venue: Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Guwahati [September 30, 2026].

The West Indies tour has come to an end, and it is thus time for a serious introspection. The hosts won the ODI Series 2-1, whereas the T20 Series ended in a 2-2 draw, with the final T20 ending in a washout at Bengaluru. The tour did produce some marvellous cricketing moments which would be remembered for long. However, the problematic aspect is that it's only the batting performances which would be cherished as the bowlers looked helpless in every venue. Be it ODIs or T20s, the surface had nothing for the bowlers, and they just tried to protect themselves from the slaughter. The situation became so troublesome that even the Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir came out in the defence of the bowlers. Moreover, if the situation doesn't improve, there is a possibility that no Indian youngster would like to pick up a ball in the future. The series was very much a contest between the batting line-ups of two sides, with bowlers having negligible roles in deciding the course of the game.

Out of the 8 games played, the pitch at Guwahati produced the most uneven contest between the bat and the ball. Indian Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to field first on a flat batting friendly surface, as it was difficult to decipher what could be a good score on this pitch. His thinking was not wrong, as the Windies, after batting first, posted a massive total of 405/7 in their 50 overs. John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo scored magnificent hundreds as the bowlers looked helpless. Kuldeep Yadav had the best bowling figures for the men in blue, and that too was 2-65 in his 10 overs. The man for whom the author felt most pity was Auqib Nabi, who made his debut in this match and went for 84 runs in 8.5 overs without any wicket. It was indeed a debut no one would wish to have.

Indians now needed 406 runs to win the match and the series. Mind you, they were supposed to climb a mountain, as it was meant to be their biggest run-chase in the history of ODI cricket. However, what happened next was something truly unbelievable. The hosts chased down 406 runs in just 43.3 overs with 8 wickets in hand. Captain Gill led from the front as he scored a majestic 223* of just 133 deliveries. The magnum opus comprised of 26 boundaries and 8 sixes as Windies' attack was crushed like anything. Apart from Gill, former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma also scored a quickfire 101 as the Indians marched their way to another series win.

However, the bigger question which remains unanswered is what kind of pitch we want to play cricket on? 811 runs in 93.3 overs implies that bowlers had nothing on the surface. If this is what we are offering to our pacers and spinners, then why not use a bowling machine? Moreover, we can win games at home by producing such surfaces, but as soon as we tour overseas, the cracks will be wide open, as we saw in the Ireland-England tour of 2026. Hence, one would hope that the BCCI will realise its mistake, and in the upcoming bilaterals we will have some competitive surface, or else we will end up being the most unprepared side in the 2027 World Cup at South Africa.