India need a solid foundation to chase big score: Robin Uthappa

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) Former India batter Robin Uthappa provided a detailed assessment of the recently concluded second T20I at Mullanpur, praising South Africa’s all-round excellence whilst questioning India’s lack of clarity in batting roles during a big chase.

India’s experiment with batting flexibility came under scrutiny after they fell short in a challenging run chase against the Proteas, allowing the visitors to level the five-match series 1-1.

Reflecting on South Africa’s response after losing the opening game on JioHotstar’s ‘Follow The Blues,’ Uthappa underlined how effectively they dominated all three departments, saying, “South Africa batted and bowled exceptionally well to bounce back after the first game. With the new ball they were outstanding on that surface, Lungi Ngidi’s delivery to Shubman Gill was an absolute peach, and the ball to Abhishek Sharma cramped him for room on a testing back?of?a?length. They consistently hit the right areas and kept India under pressure.”

“With the bat, they made a clear statement by attacking India’s best bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, right from the start. Quinton de Kock was phenomenal, built strong partnerships with Aiden Markram, ran superbly with Dewald Brevis, and kept the tempo high by hitting in his preferred zones. Donovan Ferreira and David Miller then finished things off in style. It was a complete performance from South Africa, and on a rare off day for Bumrah and Arshdeep, they out-batted, out-bowled, and out-fielded India,” he added.

India’s chase lost momentum after the early wickets, but Uthappa believes the bigger issue was in how the innings was constructed once Shubman Gill was dismissed, especially with a deep batting line-up at India’s disposal.

“You can lose early wickets, but for me the real issue was the batting strategy once Shubman Gill got out. If Axar Patel is walking in at that stage with such a deep batting line-up, he has to play as a pinch-hitter — someone you’re willing to risk early in return for quick runs and taking pressure off Abhishek Sharma. Instead, his 21 off 21 didn’t really serve that purpose, and as wickets fell around him, he was forced to change his approach and slow down, which hurt the chase,” he said.

The former opener emphasised the importance of clearly defined roles for batters playing an international game, especially when chasing a big target.

“At the international level, batters need clear roles and a clear idea of how they’re going to construct an innings. Flexibility with match-ups after the first six to eight overs is fine, but you still need a solid foundation before you can chase a big score — you can’t build a skyscraper without a base.”

Uthappa concluded by warning against excessive tactical fluidity too early in an innings, suggesting it can complicate decision-making and scoring patterns, as he stated, “Asking players to prepare for multiple roles in the same game makes run-scoring more complicated, and that’s where India are missing a trick. I don’t agree with being overly flexible so early in the innings beyond the openers.”