'They Are Not Foreign Bowlers': Gautam Gambhir's Strong Message After India Defeat vs West Indies

In a T20I contest where batters scored over 500 runs in a match (only the second time in history), it is only natural that the bowlers will be under the microscope. India scored 249/5 in 20 overs, with Sanju Samson returning to form with an 82 off 41 balls in Ranchi on Friday. The West Indies did even better, with Shai Hope scoring an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls as they reached 252/4 in 18.3 overs. For long, T20 cricket has been deemed a format in which bowlers have to go the extra mile to succeed. Over the last few years, bowlers have developed weapons of their own, such as the wide yorker and the slower delivery, to confuse batters. None of that was effective on Friday.

The India vs West Indies series has also seen some pretty high-scoring matches in the ODIs. After 800 runs were scored in the second ODI in Guwahati, Gambhir was not happy with the uneven contest between bat and ball.

The India coach almost reiterated the same sentiment after what happened in Ranchi.

"Who does not 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," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

"If you want an even contest, then we also want an even contest, because bowlers are our bowlers too, right? They are not foreign bowlers; their careers are also at stake," Gambhir added.

He acknowledged the dew factor but added that, as the reigning T20 World Cup champions, India should be able to deal with such conditions.

"We are a world-champion team, so we want to keep improving. And obviously, these are tough conditions to bowl in; we know that. Obviously, on flat wickets with dew, it is tough, but we need to figure out a way to try and stop the opposition, especially when they lost two wickets in the first over and three in the first six," Gambhir said.

"Obviously, it was tough. But again, credit to the West Indies for the way Shai Hope batted. We know that they are world-class batters, especially in this format, so obviously it was tough."

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