In the aftermath of India’s record-breaking chase of 406 against West Indies in the Guwahati ODI, the focus quickly pivoted to the staggering mismatch between bat and ball. India head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking to the host broadcasters, declared: “It’s not cricket, it’s batting,” voicing an immediate concern for the health of bowlers.

Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, was pleased with how Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma dismantled the chase but also agreed that the bowlers had very little to play with.

“There was not a lot for the bowlers,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference. “We wish that it is equally balanced. Like I said, maybe 300 runs wicket and other team have to fight hard to get that 300, 320 (is ideal). The outfield is quick. 20, 30, 40 runs go there. Particularly in today's game, yes, you do feel for the bowlers.”

Kotak felt that they could have restricted West Indies by 30-40 runs but stopped short of criticising the pitch itself.

In all, five batters across both sides scored centuries (including a double), as India hunted down the second-biggest target in ODIs, helped by a surface that appeared placid and without any real assistance for spin or pace. This, despite there being close to no dew in the second innings, which usually hampers bowling under lights.

Kotak admitted the ball was slightly turning in the first ODI at Trivandrum, which also saw a near-600 run match aggregate. But he did say the Guwahati wicket was flatter, even if the ball was holding on in the afternoon a bit.

Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies bowling coach, also admitted that pitches such as these make it very difficult for bowlers to get anything out of: “Flat pitches are everywhere now. This is flatter, more for batting, because it allows nothing for the spinners, nothing for the fast bowlers.

“Obviously whoever scores more runs wins the game, and it’s tough for bowlers coming into these conditions and coming out without any set of wickets”.

After touring New Zealand, India return home to two more home ODI series, one against Sri Lanka and the other against Zimbabwe, across December and January. When asked if such conditions give Indian batters a false sense of security, as they prepare for a World Cup in Africa, Kotak was confident the team will be ready in due course “for any conditions”.

“About preparation, I would say we will be playing five games in New Zealand (after this series),” Kotak said. “I have been to South Africa. Some wickets will be similar to our conditions. They also want to play on decent wickets.

“Because if you give uneven wickets in white-ball cricket, and if it is a low scoring one-day game, nobody wants that. So, wickets may not be like 350, 400. It could be 300, 300+. But it depends. So, we should be preparing for whichever conditions.

“And I think our batters, touchwood, will be ready for any conditions. But I don't think we can play on bad wickets. Yes, if it's like ideally 300, 320, 350 highest, that sort of wicket is good”.

Kotak went back to the formative phase of ODI cricket to suggest that run-scoring had progressed massively, and wasn’t down to the nature of pitches, but also the evolution of batting itself.

“Sometimes I also wonder that, say in 1983 World Cup, 180 runs in 60 overs were lot,” Kotak said. “Today, it looks 400 also is not enough. So, whether it is only wicket to blame or standard of batting is going high, the way guys are batting. So, it's debatable.”

“But yes, there will be a time when we will have difficult wickets in one-day games also. And different venues will have different wickets. Hopefully by then we should be prepared.”

When asked what kind of surfaces he would prefer as a batting coach, Kotak said it’s difficult to zero in on the definition of a “perfect” pitch, per se. He, however, insisted he wouldn’t go criticising the curators, since it’s not an exact science.

“See, we keep talking about pitches. But, let me tell you, I don't think anyone can make a perfect pitch in the world,” Kotak said.

“No one can make a wicket and say that it will have only 250 or 300 runs. It is possible that the curator tries to make a match with 250 or 300 runs and the wicket spins or seams more and the team gets out for 150 runs. So, he will get criticism in that too.

“If he thought that this match will be high-scoring, could have 300 or 350 or 400 runs. That is why I said that criticism is something I would not do. And it's just how you make a perfect pitch. That is also a big task. I mean, it's not as simple and as easy”.

Kotak did admit that if a 300-run chase is an equal fight, and the game goes long, then it can be called a perfect wicket in some way.

“But, the way India team is batting also, I don't know how (to define it).”