Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that batting adjustment is relatively easier for an opener if he bats down the order but it doesn’t work well other way round if a finisher gets promoted to open the innings.
Salman Butt was reviewing India’s ODI squad for the South Africa tour which was announced on Friday. The BCCI announced an 18-man squad for the 3-match series starting on January 19 at Paarl. Since newly appointed ODI captain Rohit Sharma wasn’t available for the tour, KL Rahul has been given the leadership role in his absence and Jasprit Bumrah has been named his deputy.
Ravichandran Ashwin made a comeback in ODI after 4 years while Venkatesh Iyer got the maiden call for ODIs.
Speaking on his Youtube Channel, Salman Butt was discussing the possibility of India’s final playing XI and what would be the ideal position for KL Rahul to bat in this team?
Notable that KL Rahul was slotted in the middle order in ODIs when Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were there. Butt feels that Rahul may continue as a finisher as India lacks experience down the order.
“Let’s see if India considers this idea. Because the player that you want as a finisher is now the captain of the team. If he realizes that a finisher is needed, he will come down in the batting order.” Butt said in a response to a fan’s question on his Youtube Channel.
“Very few openers can struggle at other positions. Batting adjustment is relatively easier for an opener in comparison to others and it also depends on the game condition and how a batter likes to play. So yes, it is possible for openers to adjust to different playing positions,” Butt said.
If Rahul sticks to his position as a finisher, Ruturaj Gaikwad will open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan. This will be a debut for him in the 50-over format. However, he already represented India in T20Is as he made his international debut in Sri Lanka last year.
Also, read Babar Azam And Saqlain Mushtaq Are In Favour Of Foreign Coaches For National Team – Ramiz Raja