After the conclusion of the Test series in South Africa, Team India will play three ODIs under the leadership of KL Rahul. The Karnataka batter was named the skipper for the tour after Rohit Sharma, who is rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy, couldn’t gain his fitness. The fans will also witness Virat Kohli not playing as a captain after five years while pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be Rahul’s deputy.
It’s going to be a replugged Team India that will lock horns with the Proteas. The return of Shikhar Dhawan and the inclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad strengthen the top order while the bowling unit, which also comprises ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, looks absolutely lethal. However, concern remains over the role of a finisher in the team.
With Hardik Pandya failing to make it to the squad and Venkatesh Iyer yet to make his ODI debut, the visitors are left with the limited experience of Rishabh Pant. But former Pakistan captain Salman Butt feels that Rahul may bat down the order and play the finisher’s role.
Reacting to a fan’s question on a YouTube video, Butt said, “Let’s see if India considers this idea. Because the player that you want as a finisher is now the captain of the team. If he realises that a finisher is needed, he will come down in the batting order.”
The former cricketer also insisted that openers find it way easier to adjust to different roles in the line-up. As India have top-order batters in abundance, it won’t be surprising to see the youngsters assume different roles in future.
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“Very few openers can struggle at other positions. Batting adjustment is relatively easier for an opener in comparison to others and it also depends on the game condition and how a batter likes to play. So yes, it is possible for openers to adjust to different playing positions,” Butt said.
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