Photo via Hindustan Times

‘Just not cricket’: India's flat-pitch problem isn't fair to budding bowlers

India’s young fast bowlers are facing an uphill battle in recent ODIs, with flat pitches offering little support despite their domestic success. Auqib Nabi, who led Jammu and Kashmir to their first Ranji Trophy title with 60 wickets in the 2025-26 season, made his international debut in the West Indies series but struggled with figures of 0/84 in his first ODI.

His experience mirrored that of teammates Anshul Kamboj (82 runs conceded in 9 overs, 0 wickets), Nitish Kumar Reddy (0/50 in a high-scoring chase), and Gurnoor Brar (2/96), all of whom failed to make an impact on pitches that favored batsmen from the start. The issue extends beyond individual performances, as India’s average runs per over in ODIs over the past two years has risen to 7.11, while T20Is have seen an even higher rate of 10.66, raising questions about fairness in the format.

Chief curator Ramesh Mhamunkar criticized the conditions, noting that domestic pitches retain moisture longer and evolve to assist bowlers later in the game—a contrast to the flat international surfaces that dominate recent series. The pressure on young bowlers is compounded by public scrutiny, with debutants often facing harsh backlash despite factors beyond their control, such as pitch preparation.

Up nextCricket· 26m ago

When I interviewed Sachin Tendulkar in a car on the way to the airport, Sourav Ganguly in a dressing room during a Test match and Shane Warne in Sharjah with a match in progress