There is a fine line...: AB de Villiers reacts after Gautam Gambhir calls batting order 'overrated'

Former South Africa star AB de Villiers has shared his views on India head coach Gautam Gambhir's recent remarks about the batting order.

Gambhir raised a number of eyebrows with his comments, saying that the batting order is overrated in white-ball cricket. His remarks came after India's 2-1 series win over South Africa earlier this month. During the series, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is a designated opener, batted at number four while Washington Sundar has been used as a floater.

"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 had said in the post-match press conference.

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"See, you're talking about someone who's got 100 at Manchester, a 50 at Oval who averages, what, 40-plus in Tests. Sometimes, you've got to look at balance as well. I know it's tough on someone like Washi, but then I think he's done an incredible job, batting at No. 3, No.5, No. 8," he added.

Also Read: Two Indian origin players named in Australia squad for ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026

AB de Villiers on Gautam Gambhir's 'batting order' remark:

Gautam Gambhir's remarks have caused quite a stir in the cricketing fraternity. While some have supported his views, some have outright questioned it, saying that an unsettled batting order hurts the team. However, AB de Villiers has backed Gambhir's views although he has fired a caution as well.

The Proteas legend stated that even though a team can prefer constant changes in its batting order, a clear balance should be there. AB de Villiers pointed out that the team-management just cannot really play around too much with the players' roles.

"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," AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

Speaking further, the former cricketer heaped praise on India's performance in T20 cricket, saying: "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."

India eye another win:

India have taken the lead in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa by winning the first T20I. The Men in Blue completely outplayed the visitors in the first T20I, winning the match by 101 runs. With momentum on their side, India will be looking to go 2-0 up when they take on South Africa in the second T20I on Thursday (December 11).