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Ex-Pakistan captain's unexpected Rohit-Babar comparison ahead of T20 World Cup semi-finals
Salman Butt compared the poor form of Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam and added that the India skipper will be ahead because he is getting out trying to play shots, unlike his Pakistan counterpart who appears to be inside a shell.
T20 World Cup 2022 has not been the best of tournaments for captains. Be it India's Rohit Sharma, Pakistan's Kane Williamson, England's Jos Buttler or New Zealand's Kane Williamson, none of them have been able to lead from the front as consistently as they would have liked to. Now that India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England have made it to the semi-finals, these four captains will look to put the disappointments of the Super 12 stage behind them and fire all cylinders to win the cup. Ahead of the knockout stage, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has shared his thoughts on the same.
Butt said none of the captains have looked in form but Kane Williamson has managed to contribute in every game. "Agar aap Rohit ko dekhe... Wo bhi phase hue hai, Kane Williamson bhi. Halanki wo 30-40 kar rahe hai lekin unki strike rate acchi nahi hai. Bavuma hai, wo toh khud apni team ko marwa rahe hai. Game mein bhi aur batting mein bhi. Ek jagah usne aise fizool mein rakkhi hui hai. (If you look at Rohit, he is stuck as is Kane Williamson. But he has contributed with 30s and 40s albeit with a low strike rate. Take Temba Bavuma's example, he has blocked a spot in the XI)," Butt said on his YouTube channel.
The former Pakistan opener compared the poor form of Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam and added that the India skipper will be ahead because he is getting out trying to play shots, unlike his Pakistan counterpart who appears to be inside a shell.
"Babar Azam ki agar hum baat kare, toh uski basically form nahi hai. Rohit Sharma ka intent bohut zyada hai. Lekin unke lag nahi rahe hai, lagti hai toh haath mein chali jati hai gend nei toh nei lag rahi. Form k issues Rohit, Babar dono hai lekin Rohit Sharma ka intent bada clear hai. Wo attack karta hua out ho raha hai lekin Babar shell mein gaye hua hai. Toh in dono ka ye fadk hai. Rohit Sharma chahe out ho rahe hai lekin wo attack karte hue out ho rahe hai. Babar under pressure gaye hue hai. Wo slowly momentum gather karne ki koshish kar rahe hai lekin usne ho nahi raha. Jiske wajah se pressure badhta jaa raha hai. (If we talk about Babar Azam, then he is basically out of form. Rohit Sharma has shown a lot of intent but his shots haven't come off. Both Rohit and Babar have form issues but Rohit's intent is the difference between the two. Rohit is getting out trying to play shots but Babar Azam is in a shell. He is under pressure. He is trying to slowly gather momentum but he has not been able to)," he added.
Apart from a fifty against the Netherlands, Rohit hasn't been able to make a noteworthy contribution to India's cause. Babar's case is worse. He hasn't been able to get off the blocks at all. He has only scored 39 runs while opening the batting in this World Cup in five innings.
