India suffered a six-wicket defeat in the second T20I match against the West Indies at JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi on Friday (October 9).
Invited to bat first, the hosts posted a massive 249/5 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson top-scored with a blistering 82 off 41 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes), supported by Tilak Varma (44* off 18), Ishan Kishan (43 off 22), and Shreyas Iyer (40 off 18).
Despite young Indian pacer Mayank Yadav striking twice in the very first over and reducing the visitors to 58/3 in the powerplay, the West Indies pulled off a historic chase.
Caribbean skipper Shai Hope smashed a spectacular, unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, anchoring a flawless counter-attack. He put together a ruthless 120-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford, who blazed 84 runs off just 37 deliveries. The visitors crossed the line at 252/4 in 18.3 overs.
Speaking to JioStar after the match, veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal criticized the current conditions favoring batters, pointing out how flat pitches and small boundaries, and rules like the Impact Player have inflated scores and rendered bowling skills secondary.
Frustrated by the lack of assistance for bowlers, Chahal famously remarked that administrators might as well "install a bowling machine" if pitches offer nothing to the bowlers.
“On such wickets, there's nothing for the bowlers. When the ball gets old, there's dew, the ball comes nicely onto the bat, and the grounds are getting smaller. We've seen this in the IPL as well, with 260 being chased in 19 overs. In this game too, 250 got chased down easily in 19.2 overs. So, what should bowlers do? What is the use of their skill?” Chahal questioned.
“I feel for them, because I am a bowler too and when I bowl in the IPL, on small grounds with flat wickets, you have an Impact Player as well. Earlier, when the Impact Player rule was not there, you used to see 50 runs in six overs, and 170-180 was a fighting total. But these days, 70-80 runs are scored in the first six overs, and the game is done there itself. So, either you have to have something for the bowlers in the wicket, or else just install a bowling machine,” he added.
Chahal’s comments align with concerns raised by India head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the need for a fairer balance between bat and ball.
Following the Ranchi T20I, Gambhir strongly defended his bowling unit, warning that "bowlers' careers are at stake" on extremely flat pitches.
“Who doesn't want a good competition between bat and ball? Of course. What you want, we also want. If you only want to see sixes and fours, we want to see that too. If you want an even contest, then we also want an even contest, because bowlers are our bowlers too, right?”
"They aren't foreign bowlers; their careers are also at stake. They also worked hard to sit in this dressing room; it's not like they didn't work hard. They have also worked hard. So if there is an even competition, it will be good, and better cricket will be seen," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
With this result, the five-match T20I series currently stands level at 1-1. The third T20I will be played in Indore on Sunday (October 11).
