Gautam Gambhir Schooled Over ‘Insane’ Home Tactics: ‘Why Would You Gamble With…’ | Cricket News

Gautam Gambhir (Picture Credit: AFP)

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher said on Wednesday that the way India is trying to utilise their home advantage in Test cricket is ‘completely insane’ and baffling. He feels that despite having one of the best teams in the world, Gautam Gambhir’s management is ‘gambling’ with matches and needlessly giving their opposition an advantage by offering them tracks with immense help for bowlers.

Butcher is the latest to join in the argument after India’s 30-run loss to South Africa at the Eden Gardens — their fourth defeat in the last six home games, which last happened over 50 years ago. He said the Indians are ‘leading the way’ in ‘every parameter’ from batting to pace resources, but are ruining that advantage.

“There’s one mental block that’s left and and if they get over it, then look out, everybody forever: this idea when you have home advantage… you do not need to play opposition on pitches that give them an equal chance,” Butcher told Wisden.

Like others have argued since New Zealand whitewashed India 3-0 last year, Butcher explained that flatter tracks favor better-skilled bowlers (which India have) while rank turners become a lottery.

“That style of game very much levels the playing field for the team that doesn’t have the same amount of skill,” he added, “And I see that entirely with the way that India seems to insist on going about playing their cricket at home at the moment. You have all of the things in your favour in terms of the brilliant batting. As I say, you can pick any number of fast bowlers. You’ve got Bumrah, who’s the best in the world. Fast bowlers did an incredible job away from home in England, and spin bowlers are the envy of the rest of the planet. And yet you level up the playing field to the extent that a 50 by a temper Bavuma in the 3rd innings of the game is enough to win a match.”

“That’s completely insane, for what it’s worth. And nobody would listen, but my advice would be you play on pitches that have a little bit of bounce and carry, and that break up naturally over the course of a game. And your skill will be too much for pretty much everybody else when you’re playing at home. Why would you need to roll the dice and gamble on something where you could lose the toss and end up batting last on the rest of it is completely beyond me. Baffles me and has been for at least the last probably the last 3 or 4 years,” he added.