Gambhir's Axar No. 3 'Blunder' Blamed for India's Mullanpur Loss

• India lost to South Africa by 51 runs in Mullanpur.
• Head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to send Axar Patel to bat at number 3 was heavily criticized as a major factor in India's defeat.
• Axar Patel scored 21 runs at number 3, but the move destabilized the batting order and drew strong reactions from fans.
• Captain Suryakumar Yadav defended the decision, stating Axar was supported due to his good form across formats, despite the experiment failing.
• Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav's poor form continued, with Gill getting a golden duck and Suryakumar struggling with the bat.

Why It Matters: Controversial coaching decision on batting order led to India's cricket loss.