“Batting orders are overrated” - Gautam Gambhir reveals the main reason behind constant batting order changes in T20Is

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been under constant criticism for changing the batting order constantly, has termed it as overrated, adding that it’s the impact that matters in the shortest format of the game.

Speaking in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Gambhir asserted that it’s all about impact in T20 cricket, adding that every ball needs to have the maximum impact, revealing the actual reason behind the fluctuating batting order.

"I think batting orders are overrated. Obviously, two openers are permanent. Rest, I think everything shuffles because it's not the amount of runs that matter in T20 cricket. It's the impact that matters. And people sometimes miscalculate or do not differentiate between the batting order, the runs and the impact. See, runs are different and impact is different. In T20 cricket, it's all about the impact. It's 120 balls. Every ball is an event. Every ball needs to have the maximum impact that we can have,” Gambhir said in a video posted by BCCI on social media.

"And that's the reason from day one, I think it has been a very fluid batting order. And that is how we want to play this game. We don't want to play a game thinking about averages, strike rates, and all that stuff," he added.

Furthermore, he also revealed the reason behind the ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah bowling three out of four overs inside the powerplay overs, which didn’t go down well with many in the Indian cricketing fraternity. 

"I think a lot of people relate to this T20 side as a very aggressive batting lineup. For me, I think bowling Jasprit [Bumrah] for three overs in the first six was an even more aggressive option with the ball. We don't want to be a side which is only known as an aggressive batting order, we want to be a side which should be known as an aggressive side overall,” he stated.

"I thought that the Asia Cup, it has really worked well for us because bowling just Bumrah in the first three obviously makes us win the powerplay most of the time. And then obviously, we 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. And we can take wickets all the time. And that was one of the reasons. So I felt that I think it was a very aggressive move, not only with the bat, but also with the ball as well. And that is how we want to play the game as well," he concluded.

Notably, in the T20I format of late, India went on to bag the Asia Cup 2025 title after defeating Pakistan in the grand finale. Later, they defeated Australia Down Under by 2-1 in the five-match series.

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