India, Oct. 1 -- There was a moment during the Guwahati ODI on Wednesday night when the question was no longer whether India would chase 406. It was whether anyone was still watching the bowlers.

West Indies scored their first 400-plus total in ODI cricket, but India still chased it in 43.3 overs, losing only two wickets, crossing 300 in 29.1 overs and 400 in 43rd. The match produced five centuries-three from West Indies and two from India-for the first time in ODI history. Safe to say that from the first ball to the last, it was just a one-way show.

It was magnificent batting, of course. But it was also, increasingly, a worrying advertisement for what one-day cricket is becoming. The problem is not 400. Nor is it aggressive batting. Cr...