SL vs IND, ODIS: A lot of experimentation with batting order hurting Team India? Should India stick to a winning template for ODI?
India’s middle order failed miserably in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka. India openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set the platform for India’s middle order to chase down a manageable target in both ODIs. But they failed miserably.
Their failure could be due to too much experimentation with the batting order as all-rounders were pushed ahead of specialist batters, leading to a flurry of wickets and the resulting pressure on lower-order batters to chase the remaining runs down.
Failure of the strategy in Sri Lanka
In the first ODI, all-rounder Washington Sundar played ahead of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Sundar made 5 as India stumbled from 75/1 to 87/3. In the second ODI, two all-rounders, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel, played ahead of Iyer and Rahul. While Dube made a 4-ball duck, Axar played a cameo of 44 runs.
Interestingly, all the all-rounders pushed ahead of specialists were left-handed batters. The reasoning was to have a left-right combination in the middle to combat the challenge from Sri Lanka’s spinners and counter the conditions.
Assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said at a press conference, “They had an offspinner and a legspinner, so the thought process was right. The (idea) is about having the left-right combination so that we can capitalise on the conditions.”
But so far, the experiments have failed to produce the desired result. The failure of all-rounders batting high up in the order has put pressure on the specialists, such as Rahul and Iyer, who were rather subdued in both ODIs. Instead of anchoring the chase, they were left to rebuild the innings as the all-rounders fell cheaply.
It may be recalled that coach Gautam Gambhir used the same strategy of pushing all-rounders higher up in the order when he was the mentor for the IPL franchises of Lucknow and Kolkata. Although this strategy may have worked in the IPL, it has met with failure in the two ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Not long ago, Iyer and Rahul were the pillars of the middle order during the 2023 ODI World Cup under coach Rahul Dravid. But the Gambhir era sees more experiments to put India batters in uncomfortable positions and play good cricket in tougher challenges.
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Probable results of experimentation
If India sticks to the conventional middle-order
If the likes of Rahul and Iyer came at their designated spots, it gives them confidence and security to play their natural game and bat longer to finish off the innings both when batting first or second. They will be more stable and will eye nothing but India’s win at the cost of individual performances as their spots will be fixed and secured. Meanwhile, all-rounders, coming lower down the order, can give them company to finish off the game.
If India continues experimenting
It could be possible that Gambhir is preparing his batters to play at all positions, exposing them to uncomfortable situations. This could ensure an all-rounder such as Axar to churn out a match-winning performance when batting higher up. But it could also derail the specialist batters’ confidence, who will be under pressure to perform and keep their place in the team.
Hence, too much experimentation has the potential to destroy a player’s performance. It could also bring in failure as a team struggling to finish off innings. Therefore, the think tank must tread carefully, as only a handful of matches are left before the 2025 Champions Trophy.
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