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'Like he was facing the bowling machine': Butt lauds IND batter's show against ENG, says 'don't disturb opening' combo
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, while analysing India's performance against England in their first T20 World Cup warm-up game, praised Indian batters and said Virat Kohli should not disturb the opening combination.
Virat Kohli-led India had an extremely prosperous outing against England in their first T20 World Cup warm-up game as they romped home to a seven-wicket win in Dubai. The 2007 champions chased down 189 with an over to spare and keeping this in mind, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt not only praised India's opener but also said that they should not disturb the opening combination.
England, thanks to 49 from Jonny Bairstow and an unbeaten 20-ball 43 from Moeen Ali, posted 188/5 in 20 overs. In response, openers KL Rahul (51) and Ishan Kishan (70 retired not out), who got a game in place of Rohit Sharma, guided India to a powerful win.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said remarked that despite Kishan's performance, Kohli should stick with Sharma and Rahul at the top and look to slot the Jharkhand youngster somewhere in the middle-order.
'Don't disturb the opening combination. Talk about the batting line-up after that. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will open and I don't think that will change. It could be possible that they use Ishan Kishan somewhere in the middle order or at one down or even bring him in after Kohli. That is because he is in form and can play anywhere.
“I haven't seen him struggling against the new ball or the spinners. So, these are very good signs. He played Moeen Ali very well and he hit Adil Rashid, who is a very good leg spinner, for a plenty,” explained southpaw Butt.
Moreover, he lavished rich praise on Rahul's magnificent innings, saying he was the ‘highlights’ of the show yesterday.
"But today's highlight of India's batting, someone who batted extremely beautifully, was KL Rahul. It looked like he was facing the bowling machine. He was able to hit any ball anywhere and the best part was that all of them were correct shots. He is in dangerous form currently," opined Butt.
India will play another warm-up game against Australia on Wednesday, October 20 before heading into the main draw on October 24, where they will face Pakistan.
