Gambhir rues batting-friendly pitches after India's record ODI chase

“Imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. “For the records it’s outstanding, for the crowd it’s outstanding, for the broadcaster it’s outstanding, but as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well.”

The 44-year-old said bowlers should not be judged solely by their figures on surfaces that provide virtually no assistance. “When you bowl on this kind of a wicket, it’s not fair for the bowlers. So we’ve got to give something to the bowlers so there’s at least something which the bowlers can work with,” he said.

“You can’t be hard on bowlers, because sometimes bowling figures are such that they haven’t bowled as poorly as their figures suggest.”Gambhir added that bowlers already operate under pressure in modern ODI cricket because of fielding restrictions, two new balls and increasingly aggressive batting, making balanced surfaces even more important.

Looking ahead to next year’s 50-over World Cup, Gambhir said India had limited time to settle on their combinations, with the Indian Premier League and bilateral commitments reducing the window for experimentation. “Right now is the time for us to try different options,” he said.

“Just like Auqib (Nabi) got an opportunity, we will similarly try, at least until the Zimbabwe series, to give other people an opportunity and see what they can offer us in this format.” India lead the three-match series 2-0, with the final ODI scheduled for New Chandigarh on Saturday.