Guwahati: India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised the Guwahati pitch following his side's record chase of 406 runs against the West Indies in the second One-Day International, calling for "a bit more contest between bat and ball" and describing conditions that offer minimal assistance to bowlers as "not fair".

India completed the highest successful run chase in their ODI history on Wednesday, reaching the target in 43.3 overs to secure an eight-wicket victory and wrap up the three-match series.

"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 told Star Sports after the match, according to Cricinfo.

"Because imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400. Obviously, for the records it's outstanding, for the crowd it's outstanding, for the broadcaster it's outstanding, but if you ask me as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, because I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well," Gambhir said.

"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 added.

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His remarks followed a high-scoring encounter in which both sides crossed the 400-run mark. The West Indies posted 405 for seven following centuries from John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Amir Jangoo, before India chased down the target with six-and-a-half overs to spare.

Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 223 off 133 deliveries, while Rohit Sharma hit 101 off 75 balls as India reached 408 for two in 43.3 overs.

Gill and Rohit accumulated 255 runs for the opening wicket, India's second-highest opening stand in men's ODIs, before Rohit fell shortly after reaching his century.

Virat Kohli, who scored a century in the series opener, added 29 off 19 balls before being dismissed. Gill remained at the crease alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 31 off 37 balls, to guide India home.

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The result marked only the second instance of a team successfully chasing a 400-plus target in ODI history, following South Africa's 438-run chase against Australia in 2006.

Gambhir stressed that bowling performances should not be judged solely on statistics in such batting-friendly conditions.

"The first thing is that you need some sympathy and a bit of margin for the bowlers," he told Star Sports, according to Cricinfo. "Often you can't be hard on bowlers, because sometimes bowling figures are such that they haven't bowled as poorly as their figures suggest. Because the margin is very small. Plus, I think you can only bowl in good areas because besides that, with five fielders inside, two new balls, and the kind of power-hitting there is now, bowlers don't really have many options."

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"That is why, as a coach, as a support staff, the first thing you look at is, were they able to execute their bowling or their plans properly? If they were able to do that, then you shouldn't be hard on them. If you get too hard just looking at their analysis, then we will never be able to develop bowlers. Imagine Auqib [Nabi] playing his first game... somewhere you need to give them a bit of support and keep a bit of an extra cushion or extra options for them. But unfortunately, today there wasn't much for any bowler," he added.

India awarded a debut to Auqib Nabi despite holding a 1-0 series lead, a move Gambhir explained was intended to expose young bowlers to high-pressure scenarios ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"We could have given Auqib a chance in the next match too when it's a dead rubber, but in a dead rubber, you don't have that pressure which comes with the pressure of winning a series. And we all know that the World Cup is all about pressure. Cricket isn't going to change like that; only the pressure will be different because the World Cup comes once in four years, so we want to put bowlers under pressure," the India head coach said.

"For example, Gurnoor [Brar]. Having Gurnoor bowl in the first 10 overs, bowling at the death, I know people will talk about his analysis, but the more he bowls in tough conditions, in tough situations, the better it is for Indian cricket. Because you can have him bowl in the middle overs and get good analysis or good stats for him, make him bowl defensively, but the more we expose them at such times, the better it is for Indian cricket," he added.

With the 2027 World Cup less than a year away, Gambhir highlighted the limited schedule remaining to assess potential selections.

"You said that there is one year, but in that one year, three months will go into the IPL, three months will go into the India-Australia series," he said. "So after this series, we have barely 20 ODIs, and 20 ODIs aren't really that many ODIs, which includes three against Sri Lanka, three against Zimbabwe. I believe there isn't much time. So whatever we plan, whatever options we prepare, we will have to do it as quickly as possible," Gambhir said.

"So before that, whatever our options are after the IPL, whatever squad is ready in our probably bigger, broader picture, we will only play them after the IPL. So right now is the time for us to try different options. Just like Auqib got an opportunity today, 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," he concluded.

The victory gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. India will meet the West Indies in the third ODI at the PCA International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Saturday.

ANI