Former Pakistan batsman Salman Butt named his pick for the Indian opener who will open alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup, saying that the batsman brings more balance to the team.
Going into the T20 World Cup, Team India will have a major headache about who should open alongside Rohit Sharma in the tournament. Many feel KL Rahul is the best choice while some feel Shikhar Dhawan should open for India.
However, after having the promising the first half of IPL 2021 where he amassed 308 runs in eight games at a blistering strike rate of 166, some fans and pundits feel Prithvi Shaw should be slotted into the Indian XI for the T20 World Cup.
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In a video posted on his YouTube channel, former Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt lauded the depth of Indian cricket and said that it’s a good headache for selectors to have spoilt for choices.
"It is a good headache for India that they are spoilt for choices. They have a lot of players who are very good players and can play at the international level," Salman Butt said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Butt said that KL Rahul will be the first choice opener because he can keep wickets too and that gives the skipper the choice to play an extra batsman or bowler.
"They currently have a set-up wherein KL Rahul opens. He also keeps wickets and that's an added advantage for him because he's a pure batsman who does wicketkeeping, so he brings more balance to the team. The captain has a choice to play either an extra bowler or an extra batsman or whatever he wants to do. So, I feel he will be the first choice,” he said.
Salman Butt further lauded Prithvi Shaw for his talent but revealed the reason why he lacks consistency. He pointed out that Team India prefers to go with stable and dependable players in their lineup.
"There is no dearth of talent in Prithvi Shaw and he has scored runs. But I still believe he is playing too many shots too early because of which he lacks consistency.
“Usually, they (India) go in with stable players, who are more dependable and those who mould their game accordingly. So far, we have seen that Prithvi only plays one way. He plays his shots," he said.
KL Rahul though has opened the batting with Rohit Sharma in T20Is regularly but in the T20I series against England, the right-handed batsmen struggled to score runs and was dropped from the XI in the last T20I.
However, in the COVID-19 hit IPL 14, the swashbuckling batsman returned to form and amassed 331 runs in seven matches and was placed second on the Orange Cap list just behind Shikhar Dhawan.
With T20 World Cup taking place in October, it would be interesting to see who will open alongside Rohit Sharma, when Team India steps onto the field for the ICC event.
