‘Batters need clear roles at international level’ – World Cup-winner blames India’s batting order for loss in 2nd T20I

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has highlighted the major issue with the Men in Blue’s batting order in the recently-concluded second T20I against South Africa. India lost the match by a massive 51-run margin at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, failing to chase the 215-run target set by the Proteas, which Uthappa thinks happened majorly due to batting failure.

The former wicketkeeper-batter reckoned that it is always understandable for a team to lose early wickets, but making a huge shift in the batting order for that can turn out to be a classic case of digging your own graveyard. While Axar Patel shifted to batting at 3, up from his usual lower-middle order position, Uthappa feels that the all-rounder was not accustomed to playing that role, eventually resulting in the lost match.

“You can lose early wickets, but for me the real issue was the batting strategy once Shubman Gill got out. If Axar Patel is walking in at that stage with such a deep batting line-up, he has to play as a pinch-hitter — someone you’re willing to risk early in return for quick runs and taking pressure off Abhishek Sharma. Instead, his 21 off 21 didn’t really serve that purpose, and as wickets fell around him, he was forced to change his approach and slow down, which hurt the chase,” Uthappa said via Follow the Blues.

The cricketer-turned-commentator further added that having a flexible line-up can work only when the batters are aware of their roles. He feels that when players are asked to bat at multiple positions, it complicates the situation, and eventually leading to a loss. He concluded by saying that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side was being a little extra flexible.

“At the international level, batters need clear roles and a clear idea of how they’re going to construct an innings. Flexibility with match-ups after the first six to eight overs is fine, but you still need a solid foundation before you can chase a big score — you can’t build a skyscraper without a base. Asking players to prepare for multiple roles in the same game makes run-scoring more complicated, and that’s where India are missing a trick. I don’t agree with being overly flexible so early in the innings beyond the openers,” Uthappa expressed.

After India lost the second match in the five-match assignment, the series is currently tied at 1-1, with three more games to go. The upcoming third T20I will be played on Sunday, December 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. It will be interesting to see whether there are any changes to the hosts’ batting order in this contest.