Former Pakistan batsman Salman Butt has weighed in on who could be India's openers for the T20 World Cup, which is slated to take place later this year. He, in particular, talked about the second opening slot of Team India.
Butt, while speaking in a video posted on Youtube channel, was asked by the co-host of his daily show whether Prithvi Shaw will make it to the Indian cricket team's playing XI for the T20 World Cup. In response, Butt first lavished rich praise on the depth of Indian cricket and spoke about another batsman who could be preferred over Shaw.
"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," said Butt.
Adding to his point, he remarked: "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."
{{/usCountry}}Adding to his point, he remarked: "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."
{{/usCountry}}KL Rahul has opened the batting with Rohit Sharma in T20Is regularly. Even though he was poor in the England series at home in March, he showed remarkable form in IPL 2021, where he amassed 331 runs in seven matches before the tournament was indefinitely suspended due to the Covid-19 crisis in India.
Speaking of the resurgent Shaw, Butt pointed out where the Mumbai batsman lacks and why his weaknesses trump his talent.
"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," reason Butt.
Twenty-one-year-old Shaw had a torrid end to 2020. In the UAE during the IPL, he scored 228 runs in 13 matches and soon after that, he lost in place in the Test side during the Australia Tour. He registered scores of 0 and 4 in the first Test in Adelaide and did not feature in the remaining three matches.
Turn 2021, Shaw found his mojo. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 827 runs, most by a single batsman in a single edition, and smashed four centuries, including a double hundred, en route to leading Mumbai to the title. Moreover, in IPL 2021, he smashed 308 runs in just 7 games.
Given his current form, he is likely to find a ticket on the plane to Sri Lanka in July, where India will play three ODIs and T20Is each.