'He brings more balance to the team' - Salman Butt backs KL Rahul as India's first choice opener for T20 World Cup 2021

Former Pakistan opening batter Salman Butt has given his opinion regarding India’s openers for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India in October. The first opening slot is more or less sealed with Rohit Sharma manning that role. Apart from Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, and skipper Virat Kohli are the other probable candidates to partner with the Indian vice-captain at the other end.

Interestingly, Kohli spoke to the media about how he wanted his batters to go hard at the powerplay, a tactic that was used in the five-match T20I series against England. The plan though, backfired as India lost a lot of wickets in the first six overs as Rahul had a horrible run, before being dropped from the team.

Butt, while speaking in a video posted on the Youtube channel, was asked the question regarding the options for the Indian team, and the co-host of the daily show asked whether Prithvi Shaw would make it to the team.

“It is a good headache for India that they are spoilt for choices. They have a lot of players who are very good players and can play at the international level,” said Butt.

No dearth of talent in Prithvi Shaw: Salman Butt

“They currently have a set-up wherein KL Rahul opens. He also keeps wickets and that’s an added advantage for him because he’s a pure batsman who does wicketkeeping, so he brings more balance to the team. The captain has a choice to play either an extra bowler or an extra batsman or whatever he wants to do. So, I feel he will be the first choice.”

After a dismal series against England, the Punjab Kings skipper Rahul bounced back in style in IPL scoring 331, before the tournament was suspended. But it was Dhawan who impressed more by scoring 380 runs at a strike rate of above 140. Shaw too made an impact by scoring over 228 runs with a strike rate of 150.

“There is no dearth of talent in Prithvi Shaw and he has scored runs. But I still believe he is playing too many shots too early because of which he lacks consistency. Usually, they (India) go in with stable players, who are more dependable, and those who mould their game accordingly. So far, we have seen that Prithvi only plays one way. He plays his shots,” reasoned Butt.