Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has lambasted India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir for his insistence on maintaining a left-right batting combination at all times during the T20I series against England. While Gambhir’s unconventional tactics—including fielding eight specialist batters and just one pacer—have raised eyebrows, it is his unwavering commitment to alternating left and right-handed batters that has drawn sharp criticism. In the first T20I, India captain Suryakumar Yadav walked in at No.3 after right-hander Sanju Samson was dismissed. The pattern continued in the second match, where left-hander Abhishek Sharma’s departure saw Tilak Varma taking the No.3 slot. While these strategies worked in the initial games, they backfired in the third encounter. Dhruv Jurel, selected as a specialist batter, was demoted to No.8, ultimately failing to get a chance to bat as India fell short in their chase of 172. Pietersen not only countered the batting order but also questioned Dhruv Jurel's credibility at 8. Honestly, he who is a batter by skills did not get enough balls to face and walked in when nothing was left to be done. During the pre-match show on Star Sports before the fourth T20I in Pune. Peterson remarked, “In the last match, Dhruv Jurel didn’t even get to bat. What is he in the team for? I don’t like this obsession with left-right combinations. You must back your best batters to play more deliveries, whether at No.3 or No.4. If you overthink left-right pairings, you end up sidelining your top batters. I’ve criticized teams for this approach before." Read also: Watch: Harshit Rana Making an Impact as Concussion Substitute India Tweaks Tactics After Criticism Responding to the criticism, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate defended Gambhir’s philosophy, highlighting his preference for batting-heavy lineups. He explained, “You could argue that we don’t want Dhruv Jurel at No.8, but this is a key part of how Gambhir has always structured his T20 teams.” However, India made notable changes for the fourth match, dropping Jurel alongside Washington Sundar and Mohammed Shami. Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Arshdeep Singh were drafted in as replacements. Interestingly, India appeared to abandon the rigid left-right strategy on Friday, as Tilak Varma was promoted following Sanju Samson’s dismissal, and Rinku Singh slotted in after Suryakumar Yadav. This shift indicated a potential rethink in India’s approach, possibly influenced by the growing external criticism.