India head coach Gautam Gambhir has insisted that the team must learn from its defeat against the West Indies in the second T20I in Ranchi. Despite posting a massive 249/5, India suffered a six-wicket loss on October 9, 2026, as the visitors completed the chase with nine balls to spare. The result levelled the five-match series at 1-1, with three matches remaining.

India’s batting unit delivered an impressive performance, but Roston Chase helped restrict the hosts’ momentum by claiming three wickets for 24 runs in four overs. He dismissed Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube.

However, the West Indies produced a remarkable response with the bat. Captain Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten 102 off 45 deliveries, while Sherfane Rutherford contributed 84 off just 37 balls. Their explosive partnership powered the visitors to their highest successful chase in T20I cricket.

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The contest turned into a remarkable run-fest, with both teams scoring 501 runs and hitting 33 sixes across 38.3 overs. Speaking after the match, Gautam Gambhir stressed that India could not afford to overlook the defeat, despite the challenging conditions.

“You don’t shrug off any defeat. If you want to keep improving, you don’t want to put anything under the carpet. We are a world champion team, so we want to keep improving,” Gautam Gambhir said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Gambhir acknowledged that the conditions at the JSCA International Stadium made life difficult for India’s bowlers. The flat pitch and dew assisted the batters, making it challenging for the bowling attack to defend such a high total.

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India had made an encouraging start, reducing the West Indies to 5/2 in the opening over before the visitors reached 58/3 inside the powerplay. However, the hosts failed to maintain their early advantage as Hope and Rutherford launched a devastating counterattack.

“These are tough conditions to bowl. We know that flat wickets with the dew, obviously it’s tough. But we need to figure out the way…to try and stop the opposition,” Gambhir added. India will now look to address their bowling concerns ahead of the third T20I at Holkar Stadium in Indore on October 11, where another high-scoring contest could be on the cards.