Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has put his weight behind Guwahati pitch after India won the second ODI against the West Indies by eight wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. A total of 811 runs were scored by both teams as India chased down their highest total in ODIs.
West Indies posted a par score of 405-7 on the board after John Campbell, skipper Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo scored fine centuries.
On the other hand, India was able to comfortably chase down the mammoth score with 39 balls to spare after Shubman Gill scored a double century whereas Rohit Sharma scored a hundred.
Gavaskar recalled that Jayden Seales got some purchase from the wicket after he bent his back following Rohit Sharma’s dismissal.
Gavaskar said on India Today, “There was something in it for the bowlers if they bent their backs. We saw that when Seales was pumped up after Rohit’s wicket and bowled a searing bouncer that went for four wides. It’s just that the batting was so good that some of the better deliveries were hammered for a six. In such a scenario, there is nothing the bowlers can do. You can’t blame the pitch. It was the quality of the batting that was simply too good.”
The former Indian opener praised Gill for scoring a majestic knock of 233 runs off just 133 balls.
“He (Gill) scores big in all formats of the game. There is grace that comes through in his batting. Even his lofted sixes seem to be graceful and a hammer. His assessment of the situation and the opposition bowlers is outstanding. His awareness of the fields is also brilliant, for a young batter like him. The world is his oyster, and he can go on to break just about every record there is, if he carries on in this manner,” he said.
On the other hand, Gavaskar slammed the critics who have been questioning Rohit Sharma’s place in the team. Rohit scored a crucial knock of 101 runs off just 75 balls with the help of 10 fours and six maximums.
“Questions about his place have been asked by people who really shouldn’t be asking such questions. The way he has been batting from the 2023 World Cup has been totally unselfish. So he will take chances in the powerplay, and in that, he will get out. And when he does carry on, he’ll get a big hundred and a big partnership. It’ll mean India can chase any Total and set a total in excess of 350 every time,” said Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma (via the aforementioned source).
The third ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at New Chandigarh on Saturday.
