Stories
811 Runs in ODI: Is Bat-Ball Contest Over, Has ODI Cricket Become Just a 'Game of Numbers'?
N
News18•02-10-2026, 11:55
811 Runs in ODI: Is Bat-Ball Contest Over, Has ODI Cricket Become Just a 'Game of Numbers'?
- •The second ODI between India and West Indies in Guwahati saw a total of 811 runs, feeling more like a batting practice session.
- •Ravi Shastri described the pitch as a 'National Highway', offering no help to bowlers and making the match dull.
- •Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 223 and Rohit Sharma 101; West Indies batsmen also hit three centuries.
- •Former cricketers Madan Lal and Sanjeev Sharma attributed the imbalance to flat pitches and the growing influence of T20 cricket.
- •Experts believe such high-scoring matches are weakening bowling quality and posing an existential crisis for ODI cricket.
Key Questions Answered
A total of 811 runs were scored by both teams during the second ODI match in Guwahati, which felt more like a batting practice session than a competitive cricket match.
Madan Lal described the match as very boring because more than 800 runs were scored on a flat wicket that offered nothing for the bowlers. He noted that an ideal ODI features an innings score of around 280 runs to maintain a tough struggle between bat and ball.
Former fast bowler Sanjeev Sharma attributes the trend to the influence of T20 cricket, where batsmen bring the same confidence to the 50-over format to easily chase massive totals. Experts warn that these flat pitches and run-fests are weakening the overall quality of bowling in ODI cricket.
