'Only openers' spots are permanent': Gambhir's clear message on India's batting order

Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson has criticized India's head coach Gautam Gambhir for the frequent lineup and batting order changes, which have impacted the team's consistency across different formats of the game. Despite India's success in the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup under Gambhir's leadership, they have faced setbacks in other competitions, including home Test series losses against New Zealand and South Africa, as well as losses in ODIs and T20Is.

Watson believes that the constant swapping of players and the unstable batting order make the team difficult to rely on, leading to their inconsistency. However, he also commends Gambhir's support for players, highlighting wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson's outstanding performances during the T20 World Cup, which were made possible by Gambhir's backing.

Watson suggests that India needs to provide more stability and time for players to adapt to their roles, which would make them even harder to beat in world cricket. Meanwhile, India suffered a six-wicket defeat against West Indies in a high-scoring T20I, with Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford leading the charge with scores of 102 and 84, respectively. The teams will face each other in the third T20I in Indore on Sunday before India embark on an extensive all-format tour of New Zealand.