Install a bowling machine: Yuzvendra Chahal backs Gambhir's plea for better pitches

Yuzvendra Chahal backed Gautam Gambhir's call for better pitches after India and West Indies combined for 501 runs in the Ranchi T20I. Chahal criticised batting-friendly conditions, dew and smaller boundaries, insisting that bowlers need a fair chance to showcase their skills.Yuzvendra Chahal backs Gambhir’s plea for better pitches. Courtesy: PTI/Chahal InstagramNew Delhi,Oct 10, 2026 16:07 ISTYuzvendra Chahal has thrown his weight behind India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s demand for better pitches, arguing that modern-day cricket is increasingly tilting in favour of batters. Following the high-scoring thriller between India and West Indies in Ranchi, the leg-spinner questioned the lack of assistance for bowlers and called for conditions that offer a fairer contest between bat and ball.India posted a formidable 249 for five in the second T20I on October 9, but Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford’s explosive 84 off 37 deliveries powered West Indies to a six-wicket victory in just 18.3 overs. The match produced 501 runs, with the visitors completing the second-highest successful run chase in men’s T20I history. The extraordinary scoring once again brought the balance between bat and ball into focus.“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 18.3 overs,” Chahal said while speaking on JioStar's ‘Haier Cricket Live’.“So, what should bowlers do? What is the use of their skill? 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,” Chahal added.GAMBHIR CALLS FOR A FAIR CONTESTChahal’s remarks echo Gambhir’s concerns about the growing dominance of batters. The India head coach had voiced similar frustration after the second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on September 30, when the teams combined for 811 runs in a match India won by four wickets while chasing 406. Gambhir argued that cricket should offer a genuine contest between bat and ball rather than become a spectacle dominated by boundaries."Look, if I have to be absolutely honest, I feel I think there has to be a bit of more contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket - but this is not cricket, this is only batting," Gambhir had said.The coach reiterated his position after the Ranchi T20I, saying he understood that fans enjoy sixes and fours but emphasising that an even contest would produce better cricket.India, meanwhile, will look to bounce back and take a 2-1 lead when the third T20I takes place on Sunday, October 11, at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.- Ends