Playing On Challenging Pitches Negatively Impacted KL Rahul And Mayank Agarwal’s Thought Process: Salman Butt

Salman Butt, the former tainted Pakistan captain reckons playing on challenging batting surfaces in South Africa has negatively impacted the thought process of Indian openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal began the series with 123 and 60 respectively in the first innings at Centurion. However, they have struggled with fluency since. KL Rahul managed a fifty in the loss in Johannesburg but Mayank Agarwal’s uncertainty outside the off-stump has been exposed time and again.

Analyzing the woes of the openers in South Africa, Salman Butt opined that KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal’s issues are more mental than technical.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer explained: “Indian openers were in very good form (when the series started) but when you play on testing pitches consistently, at times, your thought process gets disturbed. This is what has happened to Rahul and Agarwal. If you compare Rahul and Agarwal with (Cheteshwar) Pujara and (Virat) Kohli, it’s the footwork that’s the big difference.”

Reflecting on the openers’ cheap dismissals in the second innings in Cape Town on Wednesday, the 37-year-old pointed out the lack of footwork displayed by the duo.

Salman Butt, himself a former opener, elaborated: “Both KL Rahul and Agarwal were stuck in the crease against full length balls. They should have been forward but their feet are not moving. Extra bounce is playing on their minds. It’s not about the technique but the thought process.”

While KL Rahul was back in the pavilion after scoring 10 on Wednesday, Mayank Agarwal managed only seven before losing his wicket. Mayank Agarwal started the 3 Test series against South Africa on a promising note, scoring a 123-ball 60 in difficult conditions in Centurion. But his form tapered off after that, with scores of 4, 26, 23, 15, and 7 in the next five innings.

Salman Butt: India Need Another Virat Kohli Special To Win The 3rd Test

The visitors fought back well after losing their openers to end the day on 57 for 2, extending their lead to 70. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli battled out a tricky period towards the close of play on Day 2 in Cape Town. According to Salman Butt, with the pitch continuing to pose problems, India will need another special knock from Virat Kohli to set a challenging target for the Proteas.

In the 1st innings of the 3rd Test, Virat Kohli might have breached the three-figure mark if he had adequate support from the other end. He looked destined to get to that elusive 71st century. With no reliable partners at the other end, the Indian skipper went fishing for a delivery outside off after 200 deliveries at the crease. He scored a gritty 79 off 201 balls. Virat Kohli scored his second slowest fifty of his career as he reached the mark in 158 balls.

The ex-cricketer stated: “The pitch is highly challenging for batters and both sides are struggling. India need another Kohli special. Both him and Pujara are playing very well. People keep saying that these cricketers, who are not in form, should be dropped. But they tackled a tricky period towards the end of play really well. India need to bat till tomorrow (Thursday) evening to post a challenging target of around 250. They can then put South Africa under pressure.”

At Stumps on Day 2, Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 14 off 39 balls and Cheteshwar Pujara on 9 off 31 deliveries. India had earlier bundled out South Africa for a paltry 210, gaining a small lead of 13 runs at the halfway stage of the match. There are still three days left in the ongoing Test match. It will be interesting to see if India can bat throughout the third day or if South Africa will make early inroads.