Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has asked young and talented batsman Rishabh Pant to learn from the opener Rohit Sharma and adapt his style according to the conditions. As per him, Rohit Sharma has a wider range of strokes and Pant and he should learn all those from him as well.
Notably, Rohit Sharma has scored two half-centuries in the series and a century as well. On the other hand, Pant has been struggling to score. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt applauded Rohit Sharma as a special talent. Butt said: “One of the common traits among batters who score runs in all types of conditions around the world is their adaptability. Rohit Sharma too has molded his game in England according to the circumstances. According to me, Rohit Sharma is the best example for Rishabh Pant and other youngsters to watch and learn from. He is more aggressive and has more shots than some of the young guns. His range of stroke play is also far greater.”
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Salman Butt added: “However, look at the way he is respecting the ball and playing according to the conditions. He has displayed immense patience, and has been waiting for the ball. There is a lot for the youngsters to learn from him. I really hope he plays a long innings on Friday. I am really enjoying the way he has been batting.”
He also stated that, unlike the Indian openers, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are not gifted stroke players. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has already smashed his maiden overseas Test century. With Virat Kohli in the middle, they are looking forward to posting a huge total as well.
Butt shared: “KL Rahul and Rohit are naturally gifted stroke players. Pujara is ultra-defensive and so is Rahane. You can do still well in India and Australia with such an approach. However, you cannot get set in England this way. In overcast and seaming conditions, somewhere there will be a good ball and you could get out.”
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“You need to be a bit more positive. If you get a bad one, you have to get runs on it. Unfortunately for India, England’s bowlers are so good, they hardly give any opportunity for the opposition to score. Rahul and Rohit have a great range of strokes, so they can find a way out. But that is not the case with Pujara and Rahane. They do not have so many shots in their armory, that is why they look so restricted at times. Pujara and Rahane are Test specialists and they are also low on confidence,” Salman Butt concluded.
