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"It's a fine line…": AB de Villiers nods with Gambhir on 'overrated batting orders' remark

Soumyajit Dutta

Gautam Gambhir and AB de Villiers [Source: @TheAcecricket/X.com]Gautam Gambhir and AB de Villiers [Source: @TheAcecricket/X.com]

India's recent ODI series win against South Africa has sparked a fresh discussion on team strategy, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, and Proteas veteran AB de Villiers somewhat agrees with the former.

Gautam Gambhir favours a flexible approach, suggesting that rigid batting positions matter less than having a clear and adaptable game plan for the fifty-over format. This philosophy seems to be working, with the team enjoying a remarkable run of victories in the ODI and T20I formats.

"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," Gambhir said earlier during a press conference.

ABD reacts to Gambhir’s batting order remarks

Reacting to his comments, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel sided with the positivity of having a floating lineup.

“I do agree with him to a certain extent. I’ve always enjoyed a floating batting lineup in ODIs. But it’s a fine line because you can’t really play around too much with the players’ roles. It’s the top three, four to six, and then your tailenders who can hold the bat. It’s almost like three segments, and you can really be creative with that. Play with right and left-hand combinations and certain situations of the game,” De Villiers said.

De Villiers also lauded the depth of the Indian side while congratulating the T20I team for its incredible strategies, which fall perfectly in place.

“It has been incredible, especially for a T20 format. It’s the most volatile format of the three, and to have that kind of consistency tells you there must be something going on that’s heading in the right direction. I think it’s got to do with the depth of Indian cricket,” De Villiers added.

This flexible mindset, however, creates selection puzzles. The return of Shubman Gill has displaced Sanju Samson from the opening slot, despite Samson's good performances there. India captain Suryakumar Yadav explained that while Samson did well, Gill was the first choice.

While the puzzle remains to be fixed with many talented batters on the bench, India will be moving forward to play their 2nd T20I against South Africa at Mullanpur on December 11.