Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt while replying to Brad Hogg’s opinion of naming Prithvi Shaw as an ideal replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara said that that the two are completely different players.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been under the firing line for his strike rate and lack of intent since the Indian team lost the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final to New Zealand.
India’s no.3 batter in Test cricket managed only 841 runs at an average of 28 from 18 matches during the two-year cycle of WTC and scored his last century in Australia, Sydney in January 2019, where he registered 193 runs.
ENG v IND 2021: Brad Hogg names possible replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara in India's Test XI
With Pujara not being able to score runs consistently and with his poor outings in the WTC, there have been talks to drop the right-handed batsman from the Test side.
Speaking on the same former Australian spinner Brad Hogg said that if anyone has to replace Cheteshwar Pujara it has to be Prithvi Shaw as he’s more suited at no.3 than opening and has a lot of talent in him.
Replying to Brad Hogg’s comment, former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt did not agree with the chinaman’s opinion saying that the two are completely different players with Prithvi Shaw being a stroke player while Cheteshwar Pujara is an outstanding defender of the ball.
“At what time in the night, he (Hogg) made this claim? Cheteshwar Pujara and Prithvi Shaw have styles that are entirely opposite. One is an outright stroke player (Shaw) while the other is an outstanding defender, especially against the new ball (Pujara). Prithvi Shaw’s technique is such that he plays his strokes rather freely and he plays all kinds of shots,” Salman Butt said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Butt admitted Shaw to be an 'outstanding talent' who can do wonders. He, however, added that the need of the hour for India is defensive players who can play long innings, something which Pujara does better than Shaw.
“When you play too many shots too early in Test cricket, at times, you struggle. Shaw may be an outstanding talent and could come up with something spectacular to surprise everyone. That possibility cannot be ruled out. But, I am sure India must have better defensive players, who can play the long innings,” he said.
With India set to lock horns against England in the five-Test, it would be interesting to see if Cheteshwar Pujara would feature in the Indian XI or not.
