‘I don’t agree to that’: Gautam Gambhir dismisses criticism that Indian wickets are ‘tailored’ to suit home team

NEW DELHI: Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed criticism that Indian pitches are “tailored” to suit the home team, asserting that such claims are often made to create controversy and attract views.

Defending India’s high-scoring performances during the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Indian head coach said the team has posted similar totals in overseas conditions like Australia and South Africa, adding that in ICC events, the wickets are controlled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and not the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He emphasised that modern T20 cricket is largely a batter-friendly format and big scores are a global trend rather than a result of home advantage.

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— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026

“I don’t agree to that. Why would you tailor something? And honestly, India is too good a team to be even thinking about something like that and in the T20 format, whether you look in Australia or South Africa, we made 200 runs. If we make 200 runs in India, then the wickets get tailored. So I think some people, they want to create a controversy. That’s why I say, the statements given for views and TRPs should not be acceptable,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir also emphasised India’s 175 runs total on a turning track in Colombo against Pakistan in the group stages of the T20 WC, noting that the rest of the teams were making 140, but no one questioned the pitch there.

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— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026

“Because sometimes it is important to give players a lot of credit as well, because it’s not like we made such big scores only in Indian conditions. We went to Australia, South Africa and other places too. We had nothing in our hands, but this criticism used to happen for Australia and England too, that they make their pitches to suit their bowlers. But in ICC tournaments, they control the wickets. It’s not the BCCI that controls the wickets, and in bilaterals, especially in the T20 format, it is a batter’s game. No one wants to come and watch a 120-run T20 game. Everyone wants to watch that high-scoring game. This is not the case here. It is a worldwide phenomenon. Take Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and England. They also make the same big runs in T20. We even played a match in Colombo. We played a match against Pakistan, where we made 180 runs and the rest of the teams made 140 runs. We defeated Pakistan with 80 or 90 runs, no one said that there, it wasn’t in our hands, it was Colombo,” he added.

Gambhir lauded India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav, calling him a phenomenal leader. He highlighted that Surya keeps the atmosphere within the team very light, and having them in the squad makes his task easy.

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— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026

“I think he’s a phenomenal leader. I think he’s made my life a lot easier in this format (T20) because the way he keeps the atmosphere really light, the way he handles the boy and has conversations with them, I think that is fantastic to have because then you can actually, someone like me, can focus on the tactical things. Surya and I worked together for a long time when I was captain with KKR, and he was the vice captain. So I know how he operates. So he has made my life a lot easier in this format,” Gambhir concluded.

India became the first team to win the T20 WC title at home, the first team to win it back-to-back, and the first team to win the three T20 WC crowns. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, after this emphatic win in the final, surpassed former skipper and batting heavyweight Rohit Sharma to become a captain with the best winning percentage in T20Is.

He now has an 80.77 winning percentage. Under his leadership in 52 matches, India have won 42 fixtures, lost eight, and 2 ended in no result. The Indian skipper also emerged as the 10th-highest run-getter in the tournament with 242 runs in nine matches at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of over 136, with one half-century against the USA, in the group stage fixtures. (ANI)