Team India opener Shubman Gill missed India’s first two matches of the ongoing 2023 World Cup due to dengue. However, the star India opener could return in the upcoming fixture against Pakistan. And, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Gill is unlikely to lose his sublime form after being on the sidelines for a few days. He added that while there could be some weakness after dengue, he can overcome that.
“A player won’t lose his form after sitting out for a few days. It won’t make a big difference. Even if there was some weakness, he would have worked on it during practice.” Butt said in his latest YouTube video.
He further added that Shubman Gill’s return will strengthen India’s batting lineup, sharing how the player has been in scintillating form in the recent past as well. However, India and Pakistan will play against each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 13 and Gill has stunning records there and he has also reached Ahmedabad and was also recently seen batting in the nets as well.
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Butt added: “If Gill returns, it will be a massive advantage for Team India. He has been a key member of that side in the last 18 months or so. He has been an important player who has scored more runs than anybody else. He has scored effective and match-winning runs.”
During the video, Salman Butt also opened up on how it was not fair to compare Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi with Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah as well. He said that Bumrah is a seasoned campaigner who has proved his worth across formats. The veteran urged fans to wait till Shaheen plays a few more matches before comparing him with Bumrah as well.
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“Why do people draw comparisons between Shaheen Afridi and Jasprit Bumrah? Shaheen has not even played 25 percent of the cricket that Bumrah has. Bumrah is a very experienced player and has played Test cricket across the world. He has given brilliant performances in all three formats, doing well with the new ball as well as the old ball. How can you compare Shaheen to a senior bowler? Shaheen is a wonderful talent, but at least let me play half the number of matches that Bumrah has,” Salman Butt concluded.
