There were a total of 10 centurions, including a double from Shubman Gill (223) with the skipper getting to the landmark in a mere 117 balls and setting a new Indian record in the second ODI at Guwahati.

The boundary count in the three run-fest games is staggering; the bowlers reduced to mere machines and fielders to bystanders. It was basically an extended version IPL in the era of impact player. In the opening ODI there were 54 fours and 17 sixes, the second saw maximum carnage with 79 hits to the fences and 27 over it, while in the third, 59 fours were scored and 22 balls were sent into the stands.

Yes, limited-overs cricket is mostly about the mayhem batters can cause - read entertainment for fans - but the big question staring at the Indian team management is: Was it wise to play on such flatbeds considering the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia is just one year away?

Ideal preparation for the marquee event would mean playing on sporting pitches - something that offer a near-even contest between bat and ball - because that's what they are likely to encounter in South Africa, where India will play a vast majority of their games during the marathon event. South Africa, traditionally, is known for producing fast and bouncy pitches, and often times some Indian batters have struggled to cope with it, more so against short-pitched stuff.

One may argue that the World Cup is still a year away and there's still time to fine-tune the preparations. But what about the immediate future? Right after the conclusion of the West Indies series on October 17 which is in its T20 leg now, the Indians will pack their bags for New Zealand, where they will contest five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests starting October 22.

There's basically hardly any time to even catch a breath, let alone try to adjust to conditions that are expected to be completely different. And New Zealand have indirectly stated their intentions by packing their T20 side with as many as seven pacers.

We saw how India fumbled during the tour to Ireland and England a few months ago. Having played IPL for two months on absolute belters, the Indian batters were found wanting. The reigning T20 World Champions, under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer, were humbled 2-0 by Ireland and then lost 4-0 to England, with rain seemingly saving them from a second consecutive whitewash.

It had been a brutal summer in those parts of the world, and conditions were nowhere close to typical English ones, but still those hard lengths, sideways movement and short stuff rattled the Indian batters, once again exposing the chinks in the armour. Then they went on to lose the three-match ODI series 2-1.

A question on whether India erred in playing on batting paradises was posed to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak after the second ODI in Guwahati, where 811 runs were scored and a slew of records were broken, with India acing a 406-run target in just 43.3 overs and eight wickets to spare. Ever the diplomat, Kotak felt it's not possible to prepare a 'perfect pitch' every time.

"When we talk about pitches, see, I don't think anyone in the world can make a so-called perfect pitch," Kotak said. "You can never say this wicket will have 250 or 300 runs. There will always be criticism. If there is a batting collapse or it turns out to be a belter, curators will be criticised.

So, whether it is only the wicket to blame or the standard of batting is going high, the way guys are batting, it's debatable. But yes, there will be a time when we'll have difficult wickets in one-day games also, and different venues will have different wickets. So hopefully by then we should be prepared."

When particularly asked about whether playing on such run-loaded pitches was the right preparation for the World Cup, Kotak felt pitches are becoming more uniform in limited-overs across the world. "Now, if you say about the (World Cup) preparation, I would say we'll be playing five games in New Zealand. I've been to South Africa; there are some wickets that 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's a low-scoring game, nobody wants that. So wickets may not be like 350-400. It could be 300, 300-plus. So we should be preparing for whichever conditions, and I think our batters, touchwood, will be ready for any conditions."

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, a straight shooter, was blunt in his assessment of the pitches. "If I have to be absolutely honest, I feel there has to be a bit more contest between bat and ball. This is not cricket, this is only batting. Imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400," Gambhir told JioStar.

"Obviously, for the records, for the crowd, it's outstanding, but if you ask me as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, because I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well. When you bowl on this kind of a wicket, it's not fair for the bowlers. So, we've got to give something to the bowlers so there's at least something which they can work with. You need a bit of margin for the bowlers," Gambhir added.

In Test cricket, India are well within their rights to play on pitches that suit their strengths. Yes, the character of pitches in limited-overs has become a little more uniform nowadays, but still they will be more balanced in ICC tournaments.

The Men In Blue will be hosting Sri Lanka for three ODIs in December and a similar number of games versus Zimbabwe in January 2027. Those are the only two ODI assignments at home for India ahead of the World Cup. Hopefully, one gets to see a bit more contest between bat and ball and not skewed heavily on one side. Remember, there's no success without thorough preparation.