Gambhir Slams Flat Guwahati Pitch After India's Record 406 Chase

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said the pitch in Guwahati gave almost nothing to bowlers, even though his team used it to pull off the biggest run chase in India's ODI history. India chased 406 against West Indies in the second ODI at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, September 30, and won by eight wickets with 39 balls to spare.

Speaking to broadcaster Star Sports after the match, Gambhir did not celebrate the record like most people did. He said there should be a fairer fight between bat and ball, and added: "this is not cricket, this is only batting." He said such a game is great for the record books, the crowd and the TV channel, but as a coach and a cricket fan he also had to think about the bowlers.

A Night of Records in Guwahati

West Indies batted first and scored 405 for seven in their 50 overs. It was the first time they had ever crossed 400 in an ODI. Three of their batters made centuries: John Campbell hit 101 off just 68 balls, captain Shai Hope made 104 off 94, and Amir Jangoo scored 114 off 77.

India's reply was even faster. Rohit Sharma scored 101 off 75 balls and passed 12,000 ODI runs during the innings. Captain Shubman Gill stayed not out on 223 off 133 balls. He reached his 200 in only 117 balls, the fastest double century in ODI history. It was his second ODI double hundred, and only Rohit had done that more than once before him. The two openers added 255 runs, and after that the chase never slowed down. Virat Kohli made 29 and Ruturaj Gaikwad finished the job, unbeaten on 31.

The two teams scored 811 runs in total. India became only the second team to chase down a 400 plus target in men's ODIs. The first was South Africa, who chased 435 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006 and finished on 438 for nine. India's old record was the 360 they chased against Australia in Jaipur in 2013. West Indies also set an unwanted record: 405 is now the highest ODI total by a team that lost, and they are the first side to lose a match after three of their batters made hundreds in the same innings.

The win gave India a 2-0 lead in the three match series, so West Indies can no longer win it. India had won the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27 by eight wickets. It is India's 14th bilateral ODI series win in a row against West Indies.

Why Gambhir Says Bowlers Need Support

When asked how a coach can protect bowlers on such pitches, Gambhir said they should not be judged only by their figures. On a flat pitch, he said, even a bowler who bowls well can end up giving away many runs, because the margin for error is very small. The question to ask is whether the bowler carried out his plan. If he did, the coach should not be hard on him. Otherwise, Gambhir warned, India will never be able to develop new bowlers.

He also pointed to the rules. In the middle overs of an ODI, only four fielders are allowed outside the 30 yard circle, so at least five must stay inside it. Since 2011, each innings has used two new balls, one from each end, which keeps the ball hard for longer and makes it easier to hit. In July 2025 the ICC changed this rule so that both balls are used only until the 34th over, after which the fielding team picks one ball for the last 16 overs. The ICC said the aim was to bring back balance between bat and ball. Gambhir's comments show he still feels bowlers have very few options today.

This is not the first time Gambhir has spoken about pitches. In October 2025, after a Test against West Indies in Delhi, he said there had to be something in the pitch for fast bowlers too.

A Tough Debut for Auqib Nabi

The match was also the ODI debut of fast bowler Auqib Nabi, 29, from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Nabi has taken 104 wickets in the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 in 2025-26, and Delhi Capitals bought him for INR 8.40 crore in the IPL auction. He was first called up for India's Test tour of Sri Lanka in August as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah, but did not play. He is only the third player from Jammu and Kashmir to be picked for India, after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik.

Gambhir said India could have given Nabi his first game in the third ODI, when the series result would already be decided. Instead they picked him while the series was still live, because a World Cup is all about pressure and they wanted to see how he handles it. He said the same about Gurnoor Brar, the tall Punjab fast bowler who made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in June and took three wickets for 27 runs. Gambhir said he made Brar bowl in the first ten overs and at the death on purpose, even if his figures suffer, because tough spells now will help Indian cricket later.

Less Time Than It Looks Before World Cup 2027

The next ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in late 2027. Gambhir said one year sounds like a lot of time, but it is not. About three months will go into the IPL and about three months into a series against Australia. By his count, India have only around 20 ODIs left after this series, including three against Sri Lanka and three against Zimbabwe.

That is why, he said, India will keep testing new players at least until the Zimbabwe series. After the IPL, the team will start playing the group it plans to take to the World Cup. The third and final ODI against West Indies will be played in New Chandigarh on Saturday, October 3, followed by a five match T20I series starting in Lucknow on October 6.

What It Means for Pakistan

Pakistan fans will know this debate well. In February 2025, during the tri-series in Karachi, Pakistan made their own national record chase, scoring 355 for four to beat South Africa's 352. Mohammad Rizwan made 122 not out and Salman Ali Agha scored 134, and reports at the time described the pitch as very flat. Pakistani bowlers also gave away big numbers that day.

Pakistan are also preparing for the same 2027 World Cup, and fast bowling has always been their biggest strength. Gambhir's point, that a bowler should be judged on how well he followed his plan and not only on the runs against his name, applies to every team building a bowling attack for that tournament, including Pakistan.