Modern day cricket is entertaining cricket. It could be said that the template is such. The times are such. Perhaps the way the sport is today is not necessarily one that offers a great deal of balance
between the forces responsible with the bat and the ball. In other words, in the game of cricket, especially in the contemporary age that is defined by wham bam style of batting, merciless scoring on flat tracks or banal surfaces becomes the order of the day.
It impacts the game in a manner that while it becomes a run fest for the batters, not an awful lot is reserved for the bowlers. Perhaps that’s also got to do with the decision marking involved in the kind of wickets that one gets to see, every now and again, where it rains runs, often if not always.
At surface level, the truth that seems to prevail is that the surfaces may not necessarily assist the bowlers out there, not especially the young bowlers who are simply at the beginners stage of their international cricket career.
GAUTAM GAMBHIR ON STAR SPORTS:
“I want more contest between bat and ball. It’s good for fans, broadcasters but you need to feel for the bowlers. You need to give some support to them.” pic.twitter.com/MGDms0Hf7X
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 30, 2026
And three young but promising names from the firmament of Indian cricket who saw their spells being smashed to different parts of the ground on September 30 in the 2nd run-fest of a one dayer at Assam were Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar.
While the debutant Nabi, who’s talent is already known to many in India, went for 84 runs off his spell, a first in an India jersey, Gurnur Brar who had earlier made his debut in the UK, went for 96 runs off his 10 overs even as he picked up 2 wickets.
But the head coach Gautam Gambhir was quick to point out the fact that suggested the imbalance or simply put, a lack of fairness between the batters getting easy assistance from the wicket and the bowlers hardly getting any from the same wicket.
He was also constructively critical about the Star Sports broadcasting. The Head coach suggested the very fact that while the young Indian bowlers were getting smashed to different parts of the ground by the West Indians, the contest serving an important occasion to test their potential at the international level, they could have been supported with balanced broadcasting, which he felt, may have been a touch harsh.
Brar is all of 26 and this was just his 8th one dayer. The fact of the matter also being the absences of names such as Siraj, not played so far. How that would have impacted Gurnoor and Nabi is that it didn’t leave them with much support or guidance at the highest annals of the game with an elder, recognised and established name being around to guide them better.
The following were Gautam Gambhir’s observations:
“I want more contest between bat and ball. It’s good for fans, broadcasters but you need to feel for the bowlers. You need to give some support to them.”
One can’t disagree with such astute observations made by someone who himself was a fine talent and performer with the bat for India in the very format.
