Robin Uthappa expressed his concerns over India's strategy to make drastic changes in the batting order in the shortest format. India have been in stunning form since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach after the T20 World Cup triumph last year. They have won 23 out of their 26 completed matches. However, Uthappa feels that the constant chopping and changing could lead to a debacle in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup, which starts in February 2026.
In the first T20I against South Africa in Cuttack on Tuesday, the Indian batters struggled to adapt to a spicy surface. Uthappa noted that had Hardik Pandya not scored an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls, India would have finished way below their eventual total of 175/6.
The cricketer-turned-commentator warned captain Suryakumar Yadav that overdoing the flexibility within the batting line-up could hamper the team's performance in the future. Uthappa opined that if India loses a few matches heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup, it will not just negatively impact the team's morale, but Suryakumar's performances as a batter will also take a hit.
