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IND vs BAN Asia Cup 2025 Super 4: Ex-India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Indian team management's decision to make changes in the batting order against Bangladesh during their Super 4 match on Wednesday. The ex-cricketer said that Suryakumar Yadav should have batted earlier and scored some runs, since he was dismissed on a first-ball duck against arch-rivals Pakistan, instead of promoting Shivam Dube to the No.3 position.

The Men in Blue defeated Bangladesh by 41 runs and have stayed unbeaten, and have also reached the summit clash. But the decision to make changes in the batting order didn't work in their favour as both Dube and Suryakumar Yadav fell cheaply, and that showed concerns around Suryakumar Yadav's form as a middle-order batter.

His captaincy skills have been brilliant, but he has been quite inconsistent as a batter. During an interaction with India Today, Gavaskar revealed that the India skipper should have worked on his weaknesses instead of changing the batting order.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2025 Points Table: Super 4 Team Standings, NRR, Most Runs, Most Wickets After IND vs BAN Match

"I think, sometimes, when you're looking to give batters some practice, you tend to tweak the batting order a little. But I don't think there should be too much change, because that can affect the team's rhythm. Like everything else—batting, bowling—you need rhythm. Similarly, the batting order also needs a rhythm. Occasionally, you can push someone up the order depending on the circumstances, but to send a finisher like Dube to number three was a bit tricky. Dube is usually a finisher at five or six, and moving him up was particularly difficult because Suryakumar, as captain, hadn't scored runs in the previous game," Gavaskar was quoted as saying to India Today.

These changes made Hardik Pandya bat at the No.4 position, whereas Tilak Varma and Axar Patel batted at the No.6 and No.7 positions, and Sanju Samson was once again demoted in this attack. These changes only made the team look unsettled as Abhishek was involved in a run-out with Suryakumar Yadav, and that did affect the team.

Talking about the way the Indian skipper got out, Gavaskar said, "It was important for the captain to come in and get a few runs. He came in at number four and got out playing the same shot again. That is normally a very productive shot for him, no question about it. But when you're struggling, maybe you shouldn't play it until you've really got a feel for the surface. Once you've settled and scored 25 or 30 runs, then you can play that shot. I think that was probably one area where India faltered a little, though luckily the bowlers saved their skin."

Also Read: IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 Super 4: PCB Files Complaint Against Suryakumar Yadav For Showing Solidarity To Pahalgam Terror Attack Victims

It was Abhishek Sharma, who led India's top batting order as he had scored another half-century, but Suryakumar Yadav's struggles were evident. He had scored 7, 47, 0, and 5 runs till now and has only increased the team's woes after a brilliant home series against England in this format held earlier this year.

The pressure of leading a team has also affected his performance. After playing as a captain in 27 T20Is, he has batted at an average of 26.82, as compared to 43.20 when he played only as a batter. Since the summit clash is just a few days away, the team will hope that the skipper can bounce back to form.