'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Salman Butt has backed Rohit Sharma to come good in the upcoming Pataudi Trophy. Butt believes the Indian opener is an 'outright matchwinner' with enough experience under his belt to avoid childish mistakes and adapt quickly to the seam-favoring English conditions.
The 5-Test series is Rohit Sharma's only second such opportunity in England in over seven years. The only time he has opened in these conditions was in the recent World Test Championship (WTC) final, where he scored the most runs in a losing cause - 34 (68) in the first innings and 30 (81) in the second.
Salman Butt lauded Rohit Sharma for this effort arguing that the Southampton pitch was the 'most difficult' in the past few years of Test cricket.
"I believe he's done pretty well. In Australia, he provided decent starts. He's a free-flowing stroke player so his innings give you an early advantage. He isn't a slogger who can get out anytime but instead is very compact. If you see there was so much swing [in the WTC final], he wasn't dismissed early and provided decent starts... If you go through all the Test cricket of the last couple of years this was the most difficult pitch to bat on... everything was tailor-made for fast bowlers. And he looked very compact in that.
"Everybody knows about his reputation and performances, he's an outright match-winner. I think he has enough experience to not make childish mistakes or say that he can't fulfill his role because he's habitual to something else. He's that much experienced across the globe... I don't think he'll have any issue in adjusting," Salman Butt said on Cricket Baaz with Waheed Khan.
The former Pakistan captain also spoke about the effects of the recently-revealed injury concerns with Rohit Sharma's partner Shubman Gill. He asserted that with the huge player pool India have, the youngster's absence won't be much of an issue.
"Such an issue with a settled opening pair definitely affects the team. But their player pool is huge so I don't think it will be a major worry for them. The kind of players they have, two teams are playing in two different countries, I don't think it's a big issue," Salman Butt added.
India have the likes of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul to replace Shubman Gill at the top of the order. Middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari and reserve player Abhimanyu Easwaran could also chip in if needed.
"England won't forget what happened with them in India, expect seam-friendly tracks" - Salman Butt
Salman Butt further observed that the humbling 3-1 loss to India in February-March would still be fresh in the minds of England players. He advised Virat Kohli's team to expect full-strength opposition and some seam-friendly tracks as revenge for the rank-turners.
"See, what happened with England in India before the World Test Championship final, the pitches India presented them, the spinning tracks... definitely, you can expect that England will make seam-friendly tracks and they will go with their full strength. Because they won't forget what happened with them and will have a full go at India. India must be expecting this and if they aren't they should," Salman Butt signed off.
The first Test will begin on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
