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20 years ago when the T20 format on international stage was just six games old, South Africa stunned the cricket world when they chased down the mammoth target of 435 against the mighty Australians in Johannesburg ODI. Jacques Kallis' dressing room one-liner to Herschelle Gibbs' career-best 175 despite being hungover are still topic of conversations whenever the topic is best ever ODI run chases. But, 20 overs and a few months later, the excitement wasn't the same as India chased down 406 against West Indies with 39 balls to spare, only the second 400-plus successful ODI run chases. For Indian fans, Rohit Sharma entertained with a 75-ball 101 and captain Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 223, breaking Glenn Maxwell's record for highest score in an ODI run chase. While the records were broken and openers were praised, India’s Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff complained about lack of balance between bat and ball and they were not far away from the truth.
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Pitch no.6 was used at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, for the second ODI of the series. The conditions were not ideal for bowlers as there was no swing, no seam, barely any spin. In addition, the outfield was lightning quick which led to gentle push from batters down the ground being converted into boundaries. Basically, the margin for error was slim to none for bowlers. Under such conditions, India’s proven domestic performer Auqib Nabi was handed his ODI debut and he returned wicketless conceding 84 runs in 8.5 overs.
After Gill's record-breaking 233, India head coach Gautam Gambhir who is known for not mincing his words stayed true his nature. He went on to say: "This is not cricket, this is only batting". Gambhir was not harsh in his assessment as he feels that pitches like that are outstanding for broadcasters and the crowd but a coach, player and a genuine cricket fan would feel hard done by. He sympathised for the bowlers who did not have any assistance from the pitch.
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"Look, if I have to be absolutely honest, I feel I think there has to be a bit of more contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket - but this is not cricket, this is only batting," Gambhir told Star Sports after the game.
"Because imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. Obviously, for the records it's outstanding, for the crowd it's outstanding, for the broadcaster it's outstanding, but if you ask me as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, because I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well.
"When you bowl on this kind of a wicket, it's not fair for the bowlers. So we've got to give something to the bowlers so there's at least something which the bowlers can work with."
3 tons for West Indies, then Gill-Rohit mayhem
For the ones who couldn't follow the run-fest, opener John Campbell broke the record for fastest ODI fifty and century by West Indies batter against India. The records were held by Chris Gayle and Ricardo Powell respectively. After Campbell departed, skipper Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo went on to score their respective centuries. West Indies were 329/3 after 40 overs. With seven wickets in hand, they could've gone on to score close to 450. However, they lost key wickets and Indian bowlers made a comeback to restrict them to 405/7.
Indian openers did not feel they were under pressure. The decision to bowl first had its benefits. The dew made it tough for bowlers to grip the ball and batters made merry of the run chase. The opening partnership lasted 255 runs from 26.2 overs. It was the exhaustion of fielding for 50 overs and then batting for half the run chase that got the better of Rohit before he departed for 101. But, he had done his job. Skipper Gill did not break a sweat with Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad playing second fiddles. Boundaries came very often leading to West Indies players dropping their shoulders. The dropped catches did them no favour. Gill's unbeaten 133-ball 233 finished the run chase in the 44th over. He hit as many as 26 fours and eight sixes.
India batting coach unhappy with off-balance ODIs too
As India finished the run chase, the social media was abuzz of the records broken. The run chase was even mentioned during the ODI between Australia and South Africa as former cricketers-turned-commentators expressed their awe. But, the Indian coaching staff would not be happy with it as far as their preparations for ODI World Cup 2027 are concerned. The pitches in South Africa are often batting friendly but not to this extent. Even India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak complained of lack of contest between bat and ball.
“About preparation, I would say we will be playing five games in New Zealand (after this series),” Kotak said in the post-match press conference. “I have been to South Africa. Some wickets will be similar to our conditions. They also want to play on decent wickets.
“Because if you give uneven wickets in white-ball cricket, and if it is a low scoring one-day game, nobody wants that. So, wickets may not be like 350, 400. It could be 300, 300+. But it depends. So, we should be preparing for whichever conditions.
“And I think our batters, touchwood, will be ready for any conditions. But I don't think we can play on bad wickets. Yes, if it's like ideally 300, 320, 350 highest, that sort of wicket is good”.
How the scores have been on South Africa pitches vs Australia?
To put things in perspective, the recently-concluded ODI series between Australia and South Africa has seen big scores as well. In Johannesburg, South Africa and Australia played a high-scoring game with the hosts posting 365/9 and winning by 32 runs. In the third ODI which was played on September 30, Australia posted 322/9 on the board. The ODI series opener was the only game where 300 was not crossed. However, South Africa did manage to post 297/8 despite losing half the side for 168.
Did Guwahati pitch stay true to its nature?
Yes, including the ODI on September 30, all three ODIs played at the venue have been high-scoring. The first-ever ODI was played in 2018 when Kohli made the run chase of 323 look like a walk in the park. Kohli scored a 107-ball 140 while Rohit stayed unbeaten for 117-ball 152 as India chased down the target in 42.1 overs. Five years later, India played an ODI against Sri Lanka. Rohit and Gill scored fifties while Kohli scored an 87-ball 13 as India posted 373/7 on the board. But, Sri Lanka faltered in the run chase and lost the match by 67 runs despite Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten century.
All eyes on PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh
The third and final ODI of the series will be played on October 3 at PCA International Cricket Stadium, Ground A in New Chandigarh. It is yet to be seen whether the curator will make changes to the pitch with a couple of days in hand or just offer the pitch which offers a better balance between bat and ball. Otherwise, India’s real preparation for the World Cup 2027 will begin with the five-ODI series in New Zealand where big scores are often posted but there is still some assistance for pacers from conditions.
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