Top 5 experts who slammed India's batting order change in IND Vs SA 2025 2nd T20I ft. 

The Suryakumar Yadav-led India lost the second T20I against South Africa in Mullanpur on Thursday, December 11. Chasing 214, the Men in Blue were bundled out for 162 in 19.1 overs. Tilak Varma top-scored with 62 off 34 balls, which included five sixes and two boundaries. However, the remaining batters failed to show up. Big guns Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill flopped again, departing for 5 (4) and 0 (1), respectively.

Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya chipped in with a run-a-ball 21 and 20 (23), respectively, but never found themselves going. Jitesh Sharma looked good for his 27 (17), but the required run rate was out of reach. Notably, India haven't chased over 209 in the T20I format.

Following the loss, India's decision to promote Axar Patel over Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma came under scrutiny. Several former cricketers, including Shaun Pollock and Mohammad Kaif, also pointed out that Shivam Dube was dropped to No. 8. Take a look below:

Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav (middle) with Tilak Varma (left). - Source: Getty

Mohammad Kaif

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has slammed the Indian team management for promoting Axar Patel and dropping Shivam Dube lower in the batting order. He felt that skipper Suryakumar Yadav should've led from the front when the team needed him the most. The cricketer-turned-commentator said on his YouTube channel:

"You have to chase 213. Your power-hitter Shivam Dube comes in when only 13 balls are left. You need 57 runs and the match is already lost. In that game, Axar Patel comes in at No. 3 and ends up facing 21 balls. He plays 21 balls and Dube comes in so late, when the match is practically over. So why No. 3?

"Why did Suryakumar Yadav not come in at No. 3? He is the captain. He should take responsibility because the target is huge. You need 11 runs per over from the very first over. And you send Axar saying it is a seaming condition, the bowling is fast, let him make the ball a little older. This is a defensive approach."

Kaif continued:

"You do not need to make the ball old, you need to hit it. You need to attack and hit big shots. You have such powerful hitters sitting there. Suryakumar Yadav is such a big T20 batter, but he is holding himself back. Later, when the required run rate shoots up, what will you do then?

"Sending Axar was a very wrong move. Axar usually comes at No. 5 when more wickets have fallen and you are chasing around 170. He builds partnerships in those situations. But in a chase of 213, you have played eight proper batters. You should have gone for full attacking batting. That was a big mistake," he added.

Shaun Pollock

Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock lauded Tilak Varma for his exploits with the bat. He, however, looked surprised with the Indian team management's decision to bat Varma down the batting order despite him scoring two consecutive tons against the Proteas in the T20Is. On this, he told Cricbuzz in the post-match show:

"I remember Tilak Varma when he was given an opportunity at No. 3 (in South Africa), and he answered the call. I thought he had secured that spot and they were going to back him at No. 3 and give him a run. So I am surprised he has gone down. And if you are going to promote someone, why not Tilak Varma? Because he has shown that he can really do the job at that spot."

"I don't know if the thinking was that if we lose an early wicket, we want to still pull the trigger as much as possible so Axar could go and swing his bat as hard as he can. But he got 21 off 21, so he didn't really manage to do that. So there lies the surprise. But Tilak Varma looked a class above. Every time he tried to play a shot, he did tonight. At the end of the innings, you think if he had gone in at No. 3 and got more balls, he could have done some more damage," he added.

Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra jumped on the bandwagon, questioning the team's tactics of promoting Axar Patel in the power play and wasting Shivam Dube at No. 8. He, however, justified the all-rounder for his run-a-ball 21 as wickets continued to tumble at the other end. The former India opener said on his YouTube channel:

"Correct the batting order, and I say this with a lot of seriousness. You were chasing 214. It wasn't a small total, and Shubman Gill got out in the first over. If you are trying to chase close to 215, you have to score 60 runs in the first six overs. You had to make the power play large. However, you sent Axar."

Chopra continued:

"Why do you have to send him at No. 3 when you have batting till No. 8? It wasn't a left-right problem as well. A right-hander got out, you sent a left-hander, and there were two left-handers in the middle. He was trying, but two wickets fell from the other end, so he said he would bat cautiously. He scored a run-a-ball 21. It wasn't good enough here."

"Axar played 21 balls, but only 13 balls were left when Shivam Dube got to bat. The match was actually over. Whether he came to bat or not would have made no difference whatsoever. So Shivam Dube wasn't utilized at all. This was the battle that had to be won from the front," he added.

Robin Uthappa

Former India opener Robin Uthappa expressed his disagreement with the team's flexible batting approach, warning the Men in Blue of its consequences. The cricketer-turned-analyst questioned Axar Patel's intent with the bat after being promoted to No. 3. On this, Uthappa told JioStar in the post-match show (via News 18):

"Well, honestly, that’s not how I see it. I’m only going by his (Suryakumar’s) words. In the pre-series press conference, he said the opening pair is set, but everyone else are moving pieces who must be flexible. With all due respect, I disagree."

He continued:

"When you’re chasing a big score, your solid batters – your best batters – should walk in. If you send a pinch-hitter, then he must play like one. If Axar was sent as a pinch-hitter today, he shouldn’t have scored 21 off 21; he should’ve gone hard and gotten out trying. But even that plan doesn’t convince me. After losing a top batter in the first or second over, you need stability at the crease. Something feels off here, and India must fix it before it becomes a habit."

"Your top three must be fixed, whether you’re setting a total or chasing one. These are specialist roles. Flexibility has its place, but that comes after the first six overs, once you’ve built a foundation. You can’t build that foundation when players don’t know their roles on a given day," he added.

Dale Steyn

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn felt that sending Axar Patel to bat in the power play was like throwing himself in a lion's den while chasing 214. He further pointed out that the right-handed batter, Shubman Gill, had gotten out, so it wasn't even about maintaining the combination. Steyn told JioStar in the post-match show (via Indian Express):

"Axar can bat, but sending him there felt like throwing him to the wolves. What was the role? If he walked in to slog from ball one, fine. Or if Abhishek had gotten out first and you wanted to maintain a left-right combination, that also makes sense. But it was a right-hander who got out, and you ended up with two left-handers at the top."

"A lot of question marks there. Perhaps there’s experimentation happening, similar to what’s happening in South Africa. But tonight, in a match where you could’ve gone 2–1 up, I would have sent your best batters and kept things simple," he added.

The five-match series between India and South Africa is currently tied 1-1. The two teams will next lock horns in the third T20I in Dharamsala on Sunday, December 14.