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After India lost their second ODI against West Indies at Barbados, the former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has made a suggestion that Rohit Sharma can bat in number three, while Virat Kohli should stay at number four in the order for the 50-overs format. The 38-year-old also talked about how Team India needs to sort their batting lineup with an eye on the ODI World Cup, which is due to happen in October and November of this year.
It was at the Kensington Oval, where the Indian management experimented with their playing XI during the second ODI, giving rest to the captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. But their decision wasn’t proven right as the Men in Blue succumbed to 181 all out while batting first against West Indies on July 30, Sunday. In the very end, Team India lost the match by a six-wicket margin, with over 13 overs still to be bowled.
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Salman Butt discussed the matter of the Indian batting lineup at length following their tough loss at Barbados, as per Indian Express, and said, “Clearly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t play so everyone was on their own. They missed the duo’s presence. Earlier, when the likes of Dhoni and other main players were rested, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, or Yuvraj Singh would take care of the batting in their absence. But the current players haven’t been able to establish themselves in ODI cricket. Before the World Cup, they have to sort it out.”
The former cricketer went on to suggest that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should occupy the number three and four spot in the lineup for India in ODI cricket. He remarked, “I think the way ODIs are played, if the new players aren’t able to perform on a frequent basis, maybe you can have Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill opening, and maybe Rohit Sharma can come one down with Virat Kohli at 4.”
“Then you can have Suryakumar and other players like KL Rahul. There are 3-4 players in this team who play in the opening role, and when they came down, the output isn’t the same,” the 38-year-old added.
