Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak condoled with the bowlers after the recent India versus West Indies ODI that was played in Guwahati on September 30, 2026. The West Indies hammered 405/7 after being asked to bat first, and Indian batters made a mockery of the record chase.
John Campbell (101), Shai Hope (104), and Amir Jangoo (114) made merry on a flat deck at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium as the West Indies posted their first-ever total of 400 and more in ODIs.
India debutant Auqib Nabi went for 84 runs in his 8.5 overs, while Gurnoor Brar gave 96 runs in his 10 overs for two wickets. Even spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, who picked two wickets apiece, went for 75 and 65 runs, respectively.
Then Rohit Sharma (101) and Shubman Gill (223*) made a mockery of the chase, adding 255 runs for the first wicket as India won the game by 8 wickets, chasing the target in 43.3 overs. Jayden Seales went for 78 runs, and Alzarri Joseph went for 86 runs in their 8 overs, respectively. Left-arm wrist spinner Vitel Lawes also went for 73 runs in his 10 overs.
“There was not a lot for the bowlers. We wish that it is equally balanced. As I said, maybe 300 run wicket, and other teams have to fight hard to get that 300 or 320 (which is ideal). The outfield is quick. 20, 30, and 40 runs go there. Particularly in today's game, yes, you do feel for the bowlers,” Kotak said in the post-match conference, quoted by Cricbuzz.
Kotak believed India could have limited the West Indies to 30-40 fewer runs but did not criticize the pitch.
India’s next ODI assignment will be in New Zealand, and then it will return home for two more home ODI series, one against Sri Lanka and the other against Zimbabwe, across December and January.
Kotak was asked whether such pitches and conditions give Indian batters a false sense of security in their preparation for the ICC World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Kotak was confident the team will be ready in due course “for any conditions."
“About preparation, I would say we will be playing five games in New Zealand (after this series). 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 or 400. It could be 300, 300+, or more. 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, ideally, 300, 320, or 350, the highest, that sort of wicket is good,” Kotak added.
Kotak looked back to the early days of ODI cricket to argue that run-scoring had advanced dramatically and that this was due not only to the quality of pitches but also to the growth of batting.
“Sometimes I also wonder that, say, in the 1983 World Cup, 180 runs in 60 overs were a lot. Today, it looks like 400 also is not enough. So, whether it is only the wicket to blame or the standard of batting is going high, the way guys are batting. So, it's debatable.
But yes, there will be a time when we will have difficult wickets in one-day games also. And different venues will have different wickets. Hopefully by then we should be prepared,” Kotak said.
Kotak also shared the conditions he would like as a batting coach, saying that it's difficult to zero in on the definition of a “perfect” pitch. But he said that he insisted that given that pitchmaking is not an exact science, he wouldn’t criticize the curators.
“See, we keep talking about pitches. But, let me tell you, I don't think anyone can make a perfect pitch in the world. No one can make a wicket and say that it will have only 250 or 300 runs. It is possible that the curator tries to set a match with 250 or 300 runs, and the wicket spins or seams more, and the team gets out for 150 runs. So, he will get criticism for that too.
If he thought that this match would be high-scoring, he could have scored 300 or 350 or 400 runs. That is why I said that criticism is something I would not do. And it's just how you make a perfect pitch. That is also a big task. I mean, it's not as simple and as easy,” Kotak added.
Kotak did admit that if a 300-run chase is an equal fight, and the game goes long, then it can be called a perfect wicket in some way.
“But the way the India team is batting also, I don't know how (to define it),” he concluded.
India and the West Indies will play the third and final ODI on October 3 in New Chandigarh.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
