Salman Butt opines on who should open the innings for India in the T20 World Cup

Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has shared his views on India’s openers in the 2021 T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in October.

India has no dearth of good openers as KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan vie for a spot, while Rohit Sharma is determined to be the other opener. The competition for the opening slot reached another level as Indian skipper Virat Kohli recently expressed his desire to bat alongside Rohit.

Talking about the same, Butt opined that though India has many players who can be suitable for the spot, Rahul opening the innings can be an added advantage. He is a wicket-keeper, too, which gives India the option to play an extra bowler.

“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.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,” Butt stated in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel on Wednesday.

When his co-host asked about Shaw, the Lahore-born pointed out that the youngster has been playing aggressive cricket, due to which he lacks consistency. Butt also asserted that India usually ropes in more dependable players who can adjust according to the situation.

“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,” Butt concluded.

Rahul couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity as an opener in the T20I series against England at home. But the Bengaluru-born was back in form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, where he smashed 331 runs before the tournament was stalled. However, it was Dhawan who panned eyes by smoking 380 runs at a strike rate of over 140 in the T20 extravaganza.

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