Salman Butt. (Photo Source: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt provided a suggestion for India head coach Rahul Dravid following their six-wicket defeat in the second ODI against the West Indies on Saturday, July 29. India had come up with a revised lineup, resting skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel came in place of the senior batters.
Butt feels that India might have lost the game due to the absence of Rohit and Kohli. The Pakistan cricketer also compared the current players to those during the 2010s, saying the youngsters haven’t been able to demonstrate themselves in the 50-over format and urged them to step up ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
“Clearly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t play so everyone was on their own. They missed the duo’s presence. Earlier, when the likes of Dhoni and other main players rested, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir or Yuvraj Singh would take care of the batting. But the current players haven’t been able to establish themselves in ODI cricket. Before the World Cup, they have to sort it out,” Butt was quotd saying by Hindustan Times.
Butt then made a suggestion to Dravid, indicating that perhaps Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill can open, and maybe Rohit Sharma can come one down with Virat Kohli at number four if the new players fail to perform. The 38-year-old stated that there are nearly four openers in the Indian squad, and the output will not be the same when they bat down the order.
“I think the way ODIs are played, if the new players aren’t able to perform on frequent basis, maybe you can have Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill opening, and maybe Rohit Sharma can come one down with Virat Kohli at 4. Then you can Suryakumar and other players like KL Rahul. There are 3-4 players in this team who play in the opening role, and when they came down, the output isn’t the same,” the former cricketer added.