Former Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Salman Butt has suggested Indian team management to bring the veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan back in the side and let him open the innings with Shubman Gill in ODIs.
Dhawan has been one of the best ODI batters India has produced and he has delivered brilliant performances for the side over the years, particularly at ICC events. However, he is no longer part of India’s scheme of things and has been replaced by Shubman Gill as Rohit’s opening partner in ODIs. He last played for India in December 2022 in an ODI match against Bangladesh.
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Meanwhile, India recently faced an embarrassing 6-wicket loss against the West Indies in the second ODI of the three-match series as the hosts managed to draw level in the series. The Men In Blue were without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the match as the duo were rested and India got bundled out for just 181.
Following India’s humiliating defeat, questions have been raised over certain players as well as over head coach Rahul Dravid’s planning in the build-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at home.
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Maybe Rohit Sharma can come one down with Virat Kohli at 4 – Salman Butt
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Butt said that India missed the presence of Rohit and Kohli in the second ODI. He added that the current crop of players have failed to establish themselves in ODIs, which wasn’t the case during the 2010s when Indian youngsters used to step up in seniors’ absence.
“Clearly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t play so everyone was on their own. They missed the duo’s presence. Earlier, when the likes of Dhoni and other main players rested, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir or Yuvraj Singh would take care of the batting. But the current players haven’t been able to establish themselves in ODI cricket. Before the World Cup, they have to sort it out,” Butt said.
Butt further backed Dhawan’s inclusion in India’s ODI XI and said that both Rohit and Kohli should move one spot down with the India captain batting at No.3 and the former India skipper batting at No.4.
“I think the way ODIs are played, if the new players aren’t able to perform on frequent basis, maybe you can have Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill opening, and maybe Rohit Sharma can come one down with Virat Kohli at 4. Then you can have Suryakumar and other players like KL Rahul. There are 3-4 players in this team who play in the opening role, and when they came down, the output isn’t the same,” he further said.
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