Steyn, Uthappa explode at Gambhir and Suryakumar for logicless experiments: ‘Stop it before it blows up in World Cup’

Dale Steyn and Robin Uthappa slam Gautam Gambhir for experimenting with Suryakumar Yadav’s batting position, warning it could cost India at the T20 World Cup.

India’s surprising decision to send captain Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, instead of his usual one-down role, raised eyebrows during the team’s 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second T20I in New Chandigarh. Former cricketers Dale Steyn and Robin Uthappa delivered a sharp rebuke to head coach Gautam Gambhir, warning India against such late-stage experimentation ahead of the T20 World Cup.

India's captain Suryakumar Yadav returns to pavilion after his dismissal by South Africa's Marco Jansen during the second T20 International (PTI)

Chasing 214, India lost vice-captain Shubman Gill to his first-ever international golden duck in the opening over. With the team under early pressure, Suryakumar was expected to walk in at No. 3, but in a surprising call, Axar Patel was promoted instead.

The move failed as Axar managed a run-a-ball 21. Suryakumar, already under pressure amid a lean patch in T20Is, came in at No. 4 and departed for 5 off 4 balls.

Speaking on JioHotstar after the match, Uthappa was furious with the experimentation, even taking a swipe at Suryakumar’s pre-series remark that India have no fixed batting positions apart from the openers. The former T20 World Cup winner said he disagreed with the mindset and urged India to fix the instability before it “blows up” closer to the World Cup.

“Well, honestly, that’s not how I see it. I’m only going by his 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. 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," he said.

“Thrown Axar to the wolves”

Steyn, who was part of the discussion as well, said India had “thrown Axar to the wolves” with the move, arguing that the team overcomplicated a simple situation by not sending their best batter in a crunch chase.

“He’s supposed to be your best batter. That’s not a trial-and-error situation — that’s just a major mistake in my opinion. And yes, 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’d have sent your best batters and kept things simple," the South Africa great added.

Uthappa urged Gambhir to fix the top three in the batting line-up, warning that constant shuffling was disrupting role clarity and could cost India dearly in a major tournament.

“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. Using a pinch-hitter is fine only in the right scenario — for example, if Abhishek gets out early and you maintain the left-right combination while still sending your best batter. Had he come in at one-drop, he would’ve gotten around 60 balls; instead, he walked in at No. 4. This constant experimentation has been going on for a while, and I worry it will hurt India at a crucial stage of a major tournament. You don’t want that happening at a World Cup.”