Rampaul Blames Batsman-Friendly Pitch for Lack of Bowling Success

West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul acknowledged that the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium offered little assistance to bowlers. Although spinners managed to get some turn as the day went on, the West Indies bowlers struggled to secure breakthroughs, allowing Indian batters to amass runs and build a significant lead by the end of Day 2.

“It was a very challenging day. We experimented with different tactical strategies. Moving forward, it might be beneficial to adhere to these a bit more. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers all day,” Rampaul remarked, noting that the situation could have deteriorated further if not for the discipline shown by his bowlers.

While surprised by the limited impact of spinners throughout much of the match, Rampaul conceded that the team’s batting performance was disappointing. “Had we batted better, the outcome might have been different. But losing early wickets in the first session put us in a difficult position,” he added.

In the absence of Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph, the inexperience of the West Indies fast bowling squad posed a major challenge. Despite KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja each scoring centuries, Rampaul highlighted Jadeja as the most challenging to bowl against.

“Jadeja was more aggressive. He targeted the spinners by moving down the pitch and playing shots over the top to disrupt their line,” Rampaul explained.

Published on October 3, 2025.