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NEW DELHI: Robin Uthappa has raised strong concerns over India’s approach under coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. The former India cricketer believes the team is taking unnecessary risks by making frequent changes in the batting order ahead of a major tournament.
Worries over India’s changing batting order
Uthappa feels the increased flexibility in the line up could hurt India at a crucial time. He said the team cannot afford to enter a World Cup with its key batters searching for form. He also pointed out that India’s recent wins cannot hide the deeper issues.
"If this goes south, it'll backfire on both Surya and Gautam Gambhir. You can't go into a World Cup as the defending champions with your main batters not in good form. In the first T20I, Hardik saved the skins out of India's innings. If it wasn't for him, we would have been 30-40 runs off that total and that's a 130." Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Concerns about long term impact
Uthappa warned that too much experimentation could disrupt the rhythm of the squad. He said that even a small dip in results could place added stress on Suryakumar Yadav as captain and batter.
"Today it's not affecting him because India is winning matches. He's one of the most successful Indian captain right now with an 85-win percentage. But if that drops over the next nine games, then it starts impacting his batting and it starts impacting how he leads on the field as well." he added.
India still in strong shape despite criticism
Despite the sharp remarks, India’s recent run in T20 cricket has been outstanding. The defending T20 World Cup champions have won 23 of their last 26 games in the shortest format.
They remain unbeaten in all series under Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, India also lifted the Asia Cup and continue to look like a powerful and confident unit heading into the next World Cup.
