Why did India play the out of form batter ahead of Suryakumar Yadav?: Former Pakistan captain

Salman Butt (Source: Twitter)

Rishabh Pant has been in torrid form in limited-overs cricket. The middle-order batter did not have a good T20I series against New Zealand where he scored 17 runs in two innings at an average of 8.50 and a strike rate of 94.44. The punt taken by the Indian management to send Pant up the order did not pay dividends and did not go down well with some of the former players as well.

The dry spell of form for Pant continued in the ODI series where, though he was batting in the middle order, he scored just 25 runs in three matches at an average of 12.50 and a strike rate of 64.10. Even in the 20-20 World Cup 2022, he made just 9 runs in the two games that he played. He did not do well in the semi-final against England.

The in-form player should play more overs: Salman Butt

Speaking of how the Indian batting order shaped up in the ODIs, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt was surprised to see Pant sent ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. In the ODI series, Pant batter ahead of Yadav in the first and third ODI. This is what Butt said, "He's (Pant) a flashy player, plays with a lot of freedom but he hasn't been able to deliver the kind of performance that was expected of him in the current (New Zealand) series. He should have scored more runs. But I didn't understand why he was batting above Suryakumar Yadav.

You are playing an out-of-form batter in place of someone who is in the form of his life and is playing his best cricket. The in-form player should play more overs. He's the No.1 batter and you are sending him below an out-of-form player," Butt said on his YouTube Channel after the third ODI did not produce a result due to rain.

Butt further broached the topic by saying that since Yadav was the inform batter then he should have been sent in to face more balls but when the reverse happened, it could have a detrimental effect towards Yadav who has been in the form of his life, especially in T20s and ODIs. He said that it was beyond him to see such a thing happening.