Salman Butt, a former Pakistan opener, is unsurprised by India’s decision to select Rohit Sharma as the country’s one-day international (ODI) captain instead of Virat Kohli. It is noteworthy that the senior men’s selection committee announced on December 8 while also choosing an 18-member team for the forthcoming three-match Test series against South Africa.
Many were surprised by the decision, considering that Kohli had previously voiced his readiness to continue leading the One-Day International and Test teams while declaring his intention to stand aside as the T20I captain to manage his workload better. However, as things stand, he will only lead in the most extended format in the future.
In contrast to this, Salman Butt believes that the decision makes perfect sense. It will not only relieve Kohli of some of the pressure, but it will also allow him to enjoy greater freedom and liberty as a batter, given the fact that he has not been able to perform up to his expectations in the last couple of years.
Kohli’s performance will improve now that he has relieved his tremendous workload: Salman Butt.
“To be honest, this does not come as a surprise to me. It was always going to happen. This doesn’t make any sense if he’s just the captain for the Twenty20 Internationals. It makes it logical to separate the white balls from the red balls to lessen the amount of pressure placed on a certain player. India does not play many Twenty20 Internationals; instead, they prefer to play One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Tests. However, to lessen the amount of effort (on Kohli’s part), the whole white-ball leadership has to go one way,” said Butt said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
He is not surprised by this decision
“As I have said, there is no element of surprise in this situation. Fortunately, Virat Kohli’s performance will improve due to his severe workload, which will allow him to play better. The amount of cricket played by Indian teams is quite high, as it is now. Pressure becomes even more when all eyes are on him and everyone is talking about how he hasn’t scored any runs. His 50-runs performances were insignificant in the eyes of the public. I believe this was an excellent change between Rohit Sharma and him,” stated Salman Butt.
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Earlier this month, Rohit led India to a 3-0 victory over New Zealand in the team’s home Twenty20 International series, marking his first assignment as the team’s full-time captain since Virat Kohli stood down after completing the Twenty20 World Cup in 2021. India will meet South Africa in their next series, which will consist of three Tests and as many One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The series will begin on December 26 with the first Test.
