‘At what time in night he made this claim?’ – Salman Butt reacts to Brad Hogg’s ‘Prithvi Shaw can replace Cheteshwar Pujara’ statement

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg hogged a lot of limelight by claiming that Prithvi Shaw should replace Cheteshwar Pujara at the number three position in the Indian Test team. With Shaw being a professional attacking opener and Pujara having a defensive style of play, Hogg’s suggestion didn’t receive a great response from fans and experts. Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt is the latest one to oppose the Australian’s statement.

Expressing shock over the former spinner’s views, Butt asked at what time in night Hogg made this claim. The southpaw then opined that Pujara and Shaw are contrasting batsmen. Hence, the latter cannot be considered a like-for-like replacement for the current one-down Indian Test batter. Butt also said that the Indian team management should look at a player with solid defence if Pujara needs to be replaced.

“At what time in the night, he (Hogg) made this claim? Cheteshwar Pujara and Prithvi Shaw have styles that are entirely opposite. One is an outright stroke player (Shaw) while the other is an outstanding defender, especially against the new ball (Pujara). Prithvi Shaw’s technique is such that he plays his strokes rather freely and he plays all kinds of shots,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.

I am sure India must have better defensive players: Salman Butt

“When you play too many shots too early in Test cricket, at times, you struggle. Shaw may be an outstanding talent and could come up with something spectacular to surprise everyone. That possibility cannot be ruled out. But, I am sure India must have better defensive players, who can play the long inning,” he further elaborated.

Meanwhile, Pujara has done a commendable job for India in whites, earning the title of the modern-day wall. However, he hasn’t been in his prime for the last couple of years. His last century in the longest format came way in January 2019. Although he has played several significant knocks after that period, he has struggled to play that marathon inning he’s known for.

The 33-year-old was last seen in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, where he registered scores of 8 and 15. India’s next assignment in the longest format is a five-match Test series against hosts England, starting from August 4. Several reports suggest that the team management is planning to bench Pujara in the series and give KL Rahul a go at number 4. Hence, it would be interesting to see what combination India will field.