India’s dominant 3-0 series victory over England left little room for doubt about their superiority, but one aspect of their batting order drew scrutiny. In two of the successful chases, all-rounder Axar Patel was promoted up the order, leaving KL Rahul with minimal involvement. This move, seemingly influenced by head coach Gautam Gambhir’s preference for a right-left combination in the middle order, sparked debate among commentators.
Addressing the criticism, Gambhir defended the strategy, emphasizing that adaptability in the batting order is crucial to modern cricket.
“That’s the way cricket is meant to be played,” Gambhir stated during a press conference.
He added, “I know a lot of people talk about it, but that’s the way we got to play the game, and that’s the way cricket should be played. It’s not about the batting order; it’s about who can create what impact. If you have the option of putting a quality left-hand batter in the middle, why wouldn’t you do that?”
He explained that his approach is not dictated by conventional statistics but rather by the impact a player can have in a given situation.
“Why would you want to have a top five consisting only of right-handers? We don’t look at averages and stats and all that stuff. We look at who can deliver more at that number. And Axar has done fabulously well. In both games in which he got the opportunity, he delivered for us. I know there will always be talk, but this is the direction we want to take moving forward,” the head coach said.
Gambhir also pointed out that this tactical shift strengthens India’s batting depth while maintaining a balanced team composition.
“If Axar is batting at five, it only lengthens the batting, with KL [Rahul] at six, Hardik [Pandya] at seven, and Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] at eight. Jaddu is a world-class batter, and I don’t think you can consider him a tail-ender. If you can bat till number eight, it’s always a great luxury, plus we have six quality bowling options. We just wanted a left-hander in the middle to break the top five right-handers,” he said.
While this approach has divided opinion, Gambhir remains firm in his belief that flexibility in the batting order will benefit India in the long run. With crucial tournaments ahead, including the Champions Trophy, it remains to be seen whether this strategy becomes a long-term blueprint for the team.
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