BCCI Sent Urgent Plea By Ex-Chief Selector On Bowlers' Behalf Ahead of 5th India vs West Indies T20I

Former India chief selector Chetan Sharma urged the BCCI to pay more attention to bowlers and provide them with supportive pitches. His remarks came against the backdrop of the ongoing five-match T20I series between India and West Indies, which has largely become a nightmare for bowlers. In three of the first four matches, teams have conceded 200-plus totals, highlighting the dominance of batters. In the second T20I, India posted a formidable 249/5 and appeared strong favourites to secure victory. However, the West Indies batters took every Indian bowler apart and chased down the target with nine balls to spare.

While acknowledging that fans enjoy watching boundaries and sixes, Sharma stressed that the BCCI should step in and prepare balanced wickets that offer a fair contest between bat and ball.

"A little improvement is needed. I know the public wants to see fours and sixes, but please pay a little attention to the bowlers too. I accept the fact that bowlers come out to get hit, but don't hit them so much that they never want to come back," Chetan told ANI.

"So, a healthy competition is very important. Supportive wickets are very important. Just as the BCCI provides supportive wickets in domestic cricket, supportive wickets should be provided in international cricket too. Then it will be fun to watch. It shouldn't be one-sided. I mean, one team scored 400, the other is comfortably chasing it, and that too 6 overs early. I mean, it's way too much. We need slightly better wickets," he added.

Chetan also backed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's prospects of featuring in the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying their performances for the national team should matter more than the discussions surrounding their age and future.

"Age is just a number. If you're performing well, like both Virat and Rohit scored centuries [in ODI series against West Indies]. When you're performing well, there's nothing to overthink about it. And these things keep happening. There will be 100 types of talks and 100 opinions. There's no need to pay too much attention to that. You need to come out for the country, perform, and win matches for India. That's what's important. If they're doing that, it's a really great thing," he said.

Kohli and Rohit remain key figures in India's ODI setup as they continue their preparations for the 2027 World Cup. Kohli, the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history, has accumulated 15,109 runs, including 55 centuries, while Rohit has scored 12,120 runs in the format, with 35 hundreds to his name.

(With ANI Inputs)

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