India’s recent experiments with their batting order in white-ball cricket are yielding positive results, and head coach Gautam Gambhir believes the flexibility has been a major advantage. Following India’s ODI series win against South Africa, Gambhir reiterated that batting positions—apart from the openers—are “overrated” in limited-overs cricket.
Gambhir’s Take: Batting Orders Are Overrated in White-Ball Cricket
Gambhir emphasized that the modern game demands adaptability. According to him, only the opening pair needs stability, while the rest of the lineup can float based on match situations.
“I’ve always believed that in white-ball cricket, batting orders are very overrated, except the opening combination,” he said after India clinched the ODI series.
His confidence seems justified, as India continue to dominate across formats with an impressive record of 27 wins in their last 31 matches.
AB de Villiers Weighs In on India’s Approach
Former South Africa captain and RCB legend AB de Villiers backed Gambhir’s view to a certain extent. He expressed his fondness for a flexible batting lineup but warned against disrupting clearly defined player roles.
De Villiers explained that a team should be creative with matchups—like right- and left-hand combinations—but must maintain clarity within the top order, middle order, and lower order.
“You can’t really play around too much with the players’ roles. It’s the top three, four to six, and then your tailenders. It’s almost like three segments, and you can be creative within that,” he said on his YouTube channel.
The Proteas great also credited India’s remarkable consistency—especially in the unpredictable T20 format—to the enormous depth of talent available in Indian cricket.
India will now aim to extend their dominance after a 101-run victory in the first T20I in Cuttack. With a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, they head into the second T20I in Mullanpur on December 11 looking to tighten their grip and move closer to a commanding 2-0 advantage.
