Why Gautam Gambhir is Risking Home Advantage to Save the Red-Ball Format!

In an unexpected yet important intervention after India‘s seven-wicket win over the West Indies in Delhi, head coach Gautam Gambhir has raised an important issue by explicitly commenting on the nature of the home pitches.

The victory beset India emphatically 2-0 their first Test series whitewash against the West Indies, but it is a sure sign that Gambhir’s comments from the dressing room after the match indicate a deeply held concern well beyond results.

Gautam Gambhir spoke from the perspective of the longevity and quality of the longest format of the game and asserted the surfaces being produced to play cricket on are simply inadequate and threaten the competitive balance of Test cricket.

Why Gautam Gambhir is worried

Gambhir is mainly worried about the lack of bounce on our home pitches. Even after winning a series, our bowlers had a tough time. It took them almost 200 overs to get the last wickets in Delhi, which was a red flag for the coach.

I thought the wicket could have been better, Gambhir said. He admitted they won, but pointed out a big problem, Edges need to carry. There has to be something for the fast bowlers too.

Indian pitches usually help spin bowlers, but the former opener thinks fast bowlers shouldn’t be totally ignored. The head coach said the lack of real carry, where the ball goes straight from the bat to the keeper or slips, was a bit worrying, because it means the pitch is slow and dies too fast.

The Responsibility of the Game: Protecting the Longest Format

Besides the immediate impact, Gautam Gambhir presented his criticism as a responsibility to the game itself, pointing out the necessity of better pitches for protecting the quality of the longest format. “I think we can have better wickets in Test cricket in future, as all of us will have the responsibility of keeping Test cricket alive,” he said.

He also termed the way to the format being alive and entertaining as indirect: “The first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is playing on good surfaces.”

It is quite a strong statement made by the one who is at the helm of India’s cricketing future, essentially conveying the message that a short-term home advantage should not be prioritized over the global appeal and competitiveness of the Test format.