Team India suffered a crushing four-wicket defeat in the second T20I against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (October 31).

Asked to bat first, the Men in Blue were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs. Opener Abhishek Sharma was the lone bright spot in the batting department, scoring 68 off 37 balls with the help of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes.

In reply, the hosts overhauled the below-par target in just 13.2 overs to take 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

After the loss, former cricketer Irfan Pathan criticized India's batting order instability. He emphasized the need for defined player roles, particularly advocating for skipper Suryakumar Yadav at No. 3 and questioning Sanju Samson's fluctuating batting position.

The decision to promote Samson up to No. 3 once again became a topic of debate, especially after earlier indications that the wicketkeeper-batter was being groomed for a middle-order role.

“As for Sanju Samson, if he keeps moving up and down the batting order like this, I’m not sure how effective that will be,” Pathan said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“I know that in T20 cricket, apart from the openers, no one really has a fixed position and flexibility is important. But in the name of flexibility, you shouldn’t become so elastic that you lose the stability that comes with having defined roles. That’s something the Indian team really needs to pay attention to,” he added.

Pathan also issued a warning to Samson, asking him to produce meaningful scores soon to cement his place in the side. “There’s no doubt he’s getting the support he needs. But that support can fade quickly if a player has three or four failures in a row. Hopefully, that won’t happen with Sanju Samson,” he remarked.

Apart from Samson, India’s experiment with Shivam Dube’s batting position left Pathan disappointed. The all-rounder was sent to bat after Harshit Rana, a move that backfired as Dube got out after facing just two deliveries.

“When you keep changing a player’s role repeatedly, things naturally change. Playing against the older ball in the middle overs, which Sanju Samson did during the Asia Cup, is very different from opening the innings, where he had scored three centuries,” Pathan explained. “It requires a different mindset and a lot of mental strength, along with strong backing from the team.”

With this loss in Melbourne, India conceded 1-0 lead to Australia in the five-match series. The third T20I will be held in Hobart on Sunday (November 2).