“When the top order imploded in the semifinal, no one was ready” - Former India opener’s advice to team management after IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Former India batter and selector Devang Gandhi feels that the team should learn from their 2019 ODI World Cup fiasco and plan their batting order in a better fashion on the road to the 2027 edition in South Africa. The Men in Blue imploded in the semi-final against New Zealand six years ago, leading to a heartbreaking defeat after dominating the majority of the campaign in England.

In the early stages of the build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, India are still trying to find their best combination, and the prospect of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma continues to linger. During the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa, the Men in Blue combated an injury crisis with a license to experiment.

The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar availed opportunities in the middle-order, while KL Rahul functioned as the primary finisher. In Shubman Gill's absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal also got a string of games under his belt, where he was able to register his maiden hundred after a series of sluggish outings.

Devang Gandhi urged Team India to keep the player pool to a minimum this time around, and give players a fixed position to feature and master gradually.

“As long as Kohli and Rohit are around, the planning has to revolve around them. The management must stick to a pool of not more than 20 players now. Leading up to the 2019 World Cup, no one was given enough chances to settle down at No. 4. When the top order imploded in the semifinal, no one was ready. The same happened in the 2023 World Cup, when the team management was forced to play Suryakumar Yadav who didn’t have a good ODI record,” Devang Gandhi told the Times of India.

Team India faced a massive crisis revolving the crucial No.4 position in the 2019 World Cup. After grooming Ambati Rayudu for the role, he was surprisingly omitted from the squad. KL Rahul initially featured in the middle-order, before being asked to open after Shikhar Dhawan's injury.

The team moved to Vijay Shankar as an option, before bringing in Rishabh Pant for the latter stages of the tournament.

"Batting orders are very overrated" - Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir's conflicted option after IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

Gautam Gambhir, however, does not intend to brand the batters with a fixed position, instead eyeing a flexible and dynamic batting unit. He had played a huge hand in promoting Axar Patel up the batting order in the ODI setup, and other wholesome changes, including the reliance on all-rounders.

“I think in a one-day format, you should know the template that you want to play with. I’ve always believed that in white-ball cricket, batting orders are very overrated, except the opening combination,” Gautam Gambhir reiterated after India's 2-1 series win over South Africa (via Mid Day).

The Men in Blue's next ODI assignment is scheduled for early 2026, when they take on New Zealand in a three-match home series.