The Indian team management’s choice to insert Axar Patel at number three has drawn criticism from former South African pacer Dale Steyn, who called the move “throwing him to the wolves.” During India’s pursuit of a 214-run target against South Africa in the second Twenty20 International at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA New International Stadium in Mullanpur, a tactical shift occurred.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav batted at No. 4 instead of his customary position after Axar was elevated to No. 3. After Abhishek Sharma was dismissed, Suryakumar came in, and Axar scored 23 runs off of 21 balls. Vice-captain Shubman Gill’s dismissal in the opening over was another early setback for India.
“Axar Patel is meant to be your greatest batter. That’s just a big error, in my opinion; it’s not a trial-and-error issue. Sending Axar there was like throwing him to the wolves, even though he is capable of batting.
What function did it serve? “It’s okay if he comes in to slog from ball one,” Steyn stated on JioHotstar.
Alternatively, it would also make sense to keep a left-right combination if Abhishek had been eliminated first. However, you ended up with two left-handers at the top after a right-hander got out. There are many unanswered questions. It’s possible that experiments are taking place, like to those occurring in South Africa. However, I would have sent your best batters and kept things simple tonight in a game where you could have led 2-1,” he continued.
In the opening game of the series in Cuttack, Suryakumar batted at number three and scored 12 runs off of 11 balls as India reached 175 for 6 in the first innings and won by 101 runs. However, at Mullanpur, India lost their top-order batsmen in the first four overs, which led former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa to say that the team management should stable their top three hitters, whether they are pursuing or setting a target.
Whether you’re chasing or establishing a total, your top three must be determined. These positions are specialised. There is a place for flexibility, but only after you’ve established a foundation and gone past the first six overs. When players are unaware of their positions on any given day, it is impossible to develop that foundation, according to Uthappa.
Only in certain situations—such as when Abhishek gets out early and you still send your best batter while maintaining the left-right combination—is it acceptable to use a pinch hitter. He went in at No. 4, but if he had arrived at one-drop, he would have received about 60 balls. This ongoing testing has been ongoing for some time, and I am concerned that it would harm India at a critical juncture in a major event. At a World Cup, you don’t want that to occur,” he continued.
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