Can’t Play Around With Players’ Roles: RCB Legend Weighs In On Gambhir's 'Overrated' Comment

India have experimented with their batting order a little in white-ball cricket of late. The good news for them is that it has paid off so far, with head coach Gautam Gambhir even calling batting orders "overrated."

"I’ve always believed that in white-ball cricket, batting orders are very overrated, except the opening combination," he said after India won the ODI series against South Africa.

Former South Africa skipper and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend AB de Villiers agrees with Gambhir to a certain extent, but also feels that you cannot mess around 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," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

India have been one of the most successful sides in the world, having won 27 of their last 31 matches. De Villiers believes it is due to the depth that the Indian team have at their disposal.

“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," he said.

India beat South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20I in Cuttack and will look to take a formidable 2-0 lead in the five-match series, when the two teams face each other in Mullanpur later today (December 11).