Salman Butt. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Former Pakistan batter Salman Butt opined that team India’s series loss against the West Indies will dent their confidence ahead of the crucial Asia Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. Notably, the Men in Blue suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of the Windies in the fifth T20I and subsequently lost the series 2-3.
In the lead-up to the major ODI events starting with the Asia Cup on August 30, former cricketer Salman Butt reviewed the contest and made a rather bold statement, saying that the Men in Blue will be impacted by the loss which will hamper their confidence going forward.
“It doesn’t matter what the format is or who the opposition is. Winning does boost the side’s confidence for their next assignment. Similarly, a defeat like this will surely dent India’s confidence. You might not see it in the interviews, but you will see it in the body language and decision-making,” Butt told on his YouTube channel.
Without the likes of senior cricketers such as Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, the think tank decided to back fresh faces such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Mukesh Kumar among others in the setup for the five-match series. Butt further highlighted that the new-look team India featuring several young players failed to cash in their potential in the series and struggled against the Windies to obtain results in their favour.
“Many would say that it was a T20I series, and several of India’s top players were missing. But at the same time, this is India’s normal practice. It wasn’t the first time that a young side was picked. It also wasn’t that West Indies are a very big team, and it was very difficult for India to beat them,” he added.
Notably, team India will turn their attention towards the Asia Cup as they kickstart their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka on September 2. Furthermore, the two rivals will clash again in the ODI World Cup at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.