Former Lion Stephen Ferris is stunned to see Ben Te'o make way to accommodate Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton for the second Test against New Zealand.
Lions coach Warren Gatland announced Sexton will start at fly-half for the must-win clash in Wellington, live and exclusive on Sky Sports 1, with Owen Farrell moving to inside centre, relegating Te'o to the bench.
Ferris, who toured South Africa with the Lions in 2009 and is currently in New Zealand, admits Gatland's starting line-up for Saturday's match at the Westpac Stadium has left many people perplexed.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "It's a little bit of a shock. I didn't expect to see Johnny Sexton line up, I expected Farrell to be in there at 10 and expected Ben Te'o to keep that number 12 jersey.
"But Ben Te'o has been dropped to the bench and maybe he will come on as an impact player. But who knows?
"It's a really interesting decision. I was talking to some fans here earlier on and some of them can't get their head round it.
"The weather is due to be a little bit iffy, with a few rain showers coming, so everybody thought that Ben Te'o was going to get in there and get the ball and give the Lions some good 'go-forward' but obviously Warren Gatland has other ideas."
The All Blacks have drafted Anton Lienert-Brown in at centre to replace the injured Ryan Crotty and another former Lion, Stuart Barnes, believes the physicality of both the 22-year-old and Sonny Bill Williams could cause Gatland's team problems.
He said: "I'm very concerned about Sonny Bill Williams and Anton Lienert-Brown. Lienert-Brown is a very good player but it'll be about where the game is played.
"I think Owen Farrell is not the greatest defender at 12 and Johnny Sexton will be targeted but it's crucial the Lions play this game in the right parts of the field.
"Game management is the key word. Sexton and Farrell are the two best game managers the Lions have outside Conor Murray, therefore they need to force New Zealand deep."