Virender Sehwag has compared Rohit Sharma's demotion to the No 3 batting spot in the match against New Zealand to the mistake of asking Sachin Tendulkar batting at No 4 at the 2007 ODI World Cup.
India lost its second consecutive match in the ongoing T20 World Cup owing to a top-order batting collapse, which has led to pundits and former players questioning the team's tactics.
Sharma, who normally opens the batting with K.L. Rahul, was asked to come in at one down, with the young Ishan Kishan taking his opening spot.
Sehwag told Cricbuzz that this decision was similar to the Rahul Dravid-led side having Sachin play at No 4 during the tournament to balance the middle order. India crashed out of group stage of that tournament after losing to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“When the opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were performing so well... why were they broken?” said Sehwag.
“Why was it said that if Sachin Tendulkar plays in the middle order then he can control the middle order? You already had three players to control—Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. So why did you need a fourth player to control the middle order?”
“When teams play bad, you change your strategy and that is why they play bad.”
Sharma had been moved to No 3 for the New Zealand game after he got out for a duck against Pakistan. He scored a run-a-ball 14. Virat Kohli came in at No 4 and was dismissed for just nine off 17 balls.
India take on Afghanistan today, and though their chances of advancing to the semifinals have taken a beating, if certain results go their way, they could still creep into the final four.