Gambhir criticizes Guwahati pitch after India’s record chase

India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticized the Guwahati pitch after India chased down West Indies’ 405 for seven to win the second one-day international by eight wickets on September 30, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. India finished at 408 for two in 43.3 overs, completing a record chase for the team and one of only two successful pursuits of a target above 400 in ODI history, according to the reports. Shubman Gill led the chase with an unbeaten 223, while Rohit Sharma scored 101. The pair put on 255 for the first wicket before Rohit was dismissed. Gill stayed in to finish the pursuit, with Ruturaj Gaikwad unbeaten on 31. West Indies’ total included centuries from John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo. Gambhir said the conditions gave too little assistance to bowlers and called for a more even contest between bat and ball. He said a high-scoring match might produce records and entertain spectators, but argued that bowlers should not be judged only by their figures when conditions offer little margin for error. His comments were an assessment of the surface; the reports did not provide an independent pitch evaluation.