By Admin 
In the second T20 against South Africa, Team India had to face a crushing defeat by 51 runs. This defeat has reawakened many old questions. India flopped in every department, from batting to bowling, but the strategy of head coach Gautam Gambhir is being discussed the most. Who ‘experimented’ with the team’s batting order for the second consecutive match. This time Team India had to pay the price in the form of a heavy defeat.
Sending Surya to number 4 created controversy
In the match played in Mullanpur, captain Suryakumar Yadav was once again sent to number 4 instead of his usual position. Akshar Patel was sent to bat before him, which spread surprise among the former cricketers. Surya was out after scoring 5 runs in just 4 balls and the team could not recover from the difficult situation it faced in the beginning.
Robin Uthappa raised questions on Gambhir’s thinking
Former Indian batsman Robin Uthappa said after the match that while chasing a big target, the team should send its ‘best batsmen’ up. Uthappa said, “Gambhir had said in the pre-series press conference that only the opening is fixed and all the other batsmen are flexible. However, in a big target, you cannot send your top batsmen down. If Akshar was sent as a pinch-hitter, he should have done power hitting, but neither that plan nor his role was clearly visible.” He said that after the fall of wickets in the initial overs, the team needs stability, not more experiments.
Dale Steyn’s sharp statement
South Africa’s legendary fast bowler Dale Steyn also called Gambhir’s planning a ‘big mistake’. Steyn said, “Surya is your best T20 batsman. Sending him down is not trial-and-error, it is a simple mistake. If a left-right combination had to be made then it was fine, but here two left-handers were sent up even after the right-hander was out. It was completely incomprehensible.”
Uthappa gave advice
Uthappa clearly said that Team India will have to fix the positions of the top-3 batsmen, whether the team bats first or chases. He said, “Flexibility will come after the powerplay, not before. Had Surya been sent one-down, he would have had 60 balls. By sending him at number 4, the team has put itself in trouble. Such continuous changes can harm India in a big tournament in the future.”