"Happening for a very long time now" - Salman Butt on Indian batters struggle against left-arm pacers

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt recently pointed out how Team India batters have repeatedly struggled against left-arm fast bowlers who bring the ball back into right-handed batters.

Butt highlighted that despite being aware that the likes of Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Afridi are going to bowl inswingers, the Men in Blue batters have failed to counter them. He claimed that the Indian players must find a way to rectify their mistakes.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, here's what Butt said:

"Obviously, Mitchell Starc's balls are going to nip back in. The Indian batters knew that the ball was going to come back in, even when they faced the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir. But India's batting has consistently struggled against the left-arm fast bowler's inswinger. This has been happening for a very long time now. This is something that they need to rectify."

Team India's capitulation in the Visakhapatnam ODI on Sunday has concerned many fans. The hosts surrendered ahead of Mitchell Starc's fiery spell, going down without a fight as they were bundled out for just 117 runs.

Starc picked up a stunning five-wicket haul, dismissing India's top-order batters like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul cheaply.

The visitors chased down the target in just 11 overs, securing a thumping 10-wicket win to level the three-match series 1-1.

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"Nobody tried to come out of the crease to counter the swing" - Salman Butt on Indian batters' approach

Salman Butt further stated that India will have to change their approach to be able to bounce back after their embarrassing performance in the second ODI.

He suggested that none of the Indian batters tried anything different to negate the swing, as they were all stuck in their crease. The 38-year-old opined that Rohit Sharma and Co. should consider batting a step outside the crease, adding:

"India need to come back very strong. If they want to overcome Australia's dominance, they have to show a huge change in their approach. Their approach was timid against the swinging ball. Nobody tried to come out of the crease to counter the swing. Everyone was struck inside the crease."

The third and final ODI between the two nations will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22.