"I think batting orders are very overrated" - Gautam Gambhir's powerful statement after AUS vs IND 2025 T20Is

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated his policy of a dynamic batting order in T20I cricket following the recent 2-1 series win in Australia. The former player is yet to lose a T20I series since taking over from Rahul Dravid in the aftermath of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Recent Team India matches have witnessed numerous batting shuffles, with players sent out according to their strengths to deal with the situation at hand, rather than a predetermined position. For instance, during the series against Australia, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson were promoted to No.3 on one occasion, while Harshit Rana also availed a rare chance to feature at No.7.

The head coach asserted that barring the opening combination, the entire batting unit is fluid, with players capable of featuring at any position and creating an impact.

"That has been the ideology from day one when I took over as the head coach, from Sri Lanka till now. It has not changed. I think batting orders are very overrated, except the openers, obviously. The two openers are permanent, the rest, I think, everything shuffles, because it is not the amount of runs that matter in T20 cricket, it's the impact that matters. People sometimes miscalculate or do not differentiate between the batting order, the runs, and the impact," Gambhir told BCCI in an interview after the Australia tour. "That's the reason from day one, I think it has been a fluid batting order, and that is how we want to play the game. We don't want to play a game thinking about averages, strike rates, and all that stuff," Gambhir added.

Team India's next T20I assignment is scheduled against the visiting South African team from December 9 onwards, after the Test and the ODI series.

"No one has ever bowled Jassi three in the first six" - Gautam Gambhir on using Jasprit Bumrah heavily in the powerplay since 2025 Asia Cup

Captains and coaches in the past have often carefully plotted how to distribute Jasprit Bumrah's overs across all three phases of the game so that his presence and impact are felt throughout. Team India, however, have taken a different route in recent times, not hesitant to unleash the star pacer from the get-go, and using the majority overs of his quota inside the first six overs as well.

Bumrah bowled three overs on the trot in the powerplay throughout the Asia Cup campaign, and the same trend was on show during the T20I series against Australia as well.

Gautam Gambhir expressed his desire for India to be known as an aggressive side, which was the reasoning behind attacking with Bumrah to rattle the opposition in the early stages of the innings.

"Look, I will tell you one thing, I think a lot of people relate to this T20 side as a very aggressive batting line up. For me, I think bowling Jassi three in the first six was an even more aggressive option with the ball. We don't want to be a side which is known as an aggressive batting order. We want to be a side which should be known as an aggressive side overall. Imagine, no one has ever bowled Jassi three in the first six. So, we wanted to go that way as well. We wanted to see how it pans out. I thought it really worked well for us in the Asia Cup," Gambhir said of the strategy. "Bowling Jassi three overs, obviously makes us win the powerplay, most of the time. And then obviously, we have got two wicket-taking options in the middle with Varun and Kuldeep. So, it gives them a lot of leverage to bowl with freedom in the middle phase," Gambhir continued.

Since the 2025 Asia Cup, Bumrah has picked up 10 wickets in eight matches at an average of 21.40 and an economy rate of 7.09. He has picked up at least one wicket in six of those matches, while 70 percent of his total wickets have come in the powerplay stage.

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Edited by Gokul Nair