Zaheer warned that such experimentations could lead to uncertainty among players.
India registered a comprehensive four-wicket victory over England in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on Sunday (February 9).
While the hosts won the game quite comfortably to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, some of the decisions of the Gautam Gambhir-led management left the fans, experts and former cricketers baffled.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has also expressed concerns over India’s experimentation with batting positions, cautioning that it could lead to uncertainty among players.
In the first ODI, Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the innings with Rohit Sharma, a move later clarified by Shreyas Iyer as a pre-planned strategy rather than a necessity due to Virat Kohli's knee issues.
However, with Kohli's return for the second ODI, Jaiswal was left out of the playing XI and Shubman Gill went back at the top of the order.
Furthermore, spin all-rounder Axar Patel has been sent ahead of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul in both the ODIs, much to the surprise of a lot of people.
"You've said that you've got to have flexibility. Number one and two will be there, but the others are going to be flexible. Within that flexibility, some rules also apply. There are certain protocols you have to follow. Certain communication needs to happen, which is gonna streamline things. Otherwise, you are creating insecurity, which, at some stage, will come back and hurt you. You don't want it to be the case. So you've got to be prepared to deal with that situation," Zaheer said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
The 2011 World Cup winner also emphasized that for Gambhir’s ploy to work, there should be absolute clarity between the coach, captain, selectors, and players.
"That's why I said recency bias is something very strong right now. The situation has become dynamic if you have to compare Rahul Dravid's approach and Gautam Gambhir's approach. You can say it's good, bad, or ugly, or you can say how do we adapt? Each individual is a part of this system, be it the senior management or the think tank, be it the players, be it the selectors. They will have to gauge it, and the entire system needs to be streamlined for the wheel to turn properly," Zaheer remarked.
India will face England in the third ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 12). The Men in Blue will then open their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.