“Players will start playing for their place” - Salman Butt warns Rohit Sharma and Co. 

With less than a year left before the 50-over World Cup, Salman Butt has warned Rohit Sharma and Co. to define roles for players to prevent them from playing for their spots in the team.

The statement comes after the team management sent Virat Kohli as an opener in the absence of injured captain Rohit Sharma in the second ODI against Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 7), which India lost by five runs. The former captain failed to deliver, as he was dismissed for five off six balls. KL Rahul, a regular opener, batted at No. 5.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Washington Sundar was promoted to No. 4. The gamble didn’t pay off, though, as the left-hander scored only 11 off 19. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt bemoaned the lack of clear roles for the players, which could lead them to play for their places instead of doing so for the team's cause:

“With less than a year left for World Cup, the roles should be clear," Butt said. "It will only benefit the team. Otherwise, players will start playing for their place.”

India fell short by five runs in a chase of 271 to lose the series.

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“Only Bumrah is effective with both new and old ball” – Salman Butt on Rohit Sharma and Co.

Butt criticised Rohit Sharma and Co's bowling for not being able to get rid of Bangladesh tail-enders in the first two ODIs, which cost them the series.

He feels only Jasprit Bumrah has the ability to deliver with the old ball in white ball formats for Team India. It's worth mentioning that the injured pacer is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Butt said:

“India bowlers don’t have the result with the old ball like the new ball. Only Bumrah is effective with both new and old balls. It looks like there are no other bowlers of his calibre. Not being able to get rid of the tail is a concerning point for any big team who aspires to win tournaments.”

He continued:

“They lack the skill of bowling with the old ball, especially when you have IPL and play most international matches. No other teams give you that many chances.”

For the uninitiated, Mehidy Hasan shared an unbeaten 51-run partnership with Mustafizur Rahman for the last wicket to win the first ODI for the hosts.

The all-rounder then shared a match-winning 148-run stand with Mahmudullah for the seventh wicket in the second game to rescue Bangladesh from a precarious 69-6, which took the game away from India. Despite Rohit Sharma's late heroics, the visitors fell short.