India has been trying a new strategy in cricket—sending a left-handed batter up the order to break the dominance of right-handed batters in the top five. Head coach Gautam Gambhir strongly supports this idea. Since Gambhir took charge, India has experimented with this approach in ODIs. In a series against Sri Lanka last July, different players—Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, and Rishabh Pant—were sent at No.3, pushing regular No.4 Shreyas Iyer down. In one match, Axar Patel was even sent at No.5.

More than six months later, Axar continued playing in the top order, batting at No.5 in India’s first two ODIs against England. This fit perfectly with Gambhir’s vision. After the series win, he defended this strategy, saying cricket should be played this way.

Gambhir explained that it’s not just about the batting order but about making an impact. If a quality left-hander is available, he sees no reason to keep an all-right-handed top five. This is different from the approach taken by former coach Rahul Dravid, who mostly played an all-right-handed top order in the 2023 World Cup and still reached the final. (Cricket)

Gambhir also praised Axar for performing well in his new role, scoring important runs against England. He made it clear that India will continue this approach in the future.

Another surprising decision was the selection of spinner Varun CV for the Champions Trophy squad instead of left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Varun is India’s fifth spinner for the tournament, while the team has only three main fast bowlers—Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana—without a backup opener.

Gambhir explains Varun’s selection for middle-over wicket (Cricket)

Cricket: Gambhir explained that Varun was chosen because he can take wickets in the middle overs and could be an X-factor, especially against teams unfamiliar with his bowling. He admitted it was tough to leave out Jaiswal but said only 15 players could be picked.

With Axar playing a key role in the top order and Ravindra Jadeja back in ODIs, Varun will have to compete with Kuldeep Yadav for a place in the team. India might select players based on their opponents—for example, against Bangladesh, Kuldeep could be preferred as his bowling turns away from their left-handed batters.

Finally, Gambhir confirmed that KL Rahul will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, as hinted by Rohit Sharma. While Rishabh Pant is part of the squad, Gambhir said KL Rahul will start, and Pant should be ready if given a chance.