Photo via Hindustan Times

‘It was not cricket’: Gautam Gambhir slams lifeless Guwahati pitch after 811 runs scored between India and West Indies

India secured a commanding eight-wicket victory over the visiting West Indies squad on Wednesday, wrapping up their three-match series with a high-scoring flourish. A staggering match aggregate of 811 runs was recorded during the contest, driven largely by five separate centuries that included a remarkable double hundred delivered by Shubman Gill.

Despite the offensive fireworks and the series win, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed severe frustration regarding the nature of the pitch, arguing that such a heavily batter-dominated surface strips away a fair competitive balance between bat and ball. The bowling units endured immense punishment throughout the fixture, with every single fast-bowling option from both sides conceding at economy rates exceeding eight or nine runs per over while claiming very few scalps.

Among those facing the severe conditions was debutant Auqib Nabi, who leaked 84 runs across nearly nine overs without securing a dismissal. Gambhir emphasized that coaches must evaluate bowlers based on their tactical execution rather than harsh final statistics when surfaces offer virtually no margin for error.

Up nextCricket· 2d ago

This is not cricket, this is just batting: Head coach Gambhir critical of Guwahati track