"It doesn't matter what you did against Nepal " - Salman Butt sends warning to India ahead of Asia Cup 2023 tie vs Pakistan
Salman Butt reckoned that Team India batters will once again struggle against Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi when the two sides lock horns in the Super Fours of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
Butt feels that while Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill starred with the bat against Nepal, facing Shaheen will be a different ballgame altogether.
Calling the left-arm speedster the best new ball bowler in the world, here's what Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel:
"There is a feelgood factor after a batter scores some runs. While it will surely increase the confidence of the Indian batters, Shaheen Afridi carries an X-factor with him."
"There is no other bowler like him in world cricket today. I won't say he is one of the best. He is the best new ball bowler in the world. It doesn't matter what you did against Nepal because there is nobody like Shaheen in any other team," he added.
Butt further added that while Gill has dominated tearaway pacers in the past, he has not been able to do the same against Shaheen Afridi.
"Shubman Gill would have batted against the likes of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rababa, who bowl at 150 kph," Salman Butt continued. "It is not only the pace. Along with pace, the line, length, and swing are the main factors. This is the same Gill who hit Nortje pull off the front foot."
"In fact, he scored a double hundred against New Zealand, who had Lockie Ferguson," he added. "He has faced bowlers who are quicker than Shaheen. However, Shaheen's ability to swing the ball late can trouble any batter. Gill is still very new. But Rohit Sharma, with all his experience, also struggled against Shaheen."
Notably, India's top-order big guns failed to get going against Shaheen Afridi in their Asia Cup 2023 group-stage encounter on September 2. The seamer finished with a four-wicket haul, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja.
"You cannot bowl short at this pace" - Salman Butt on Indian bowlers
Assessing the performance of Indian bowlers during their Asia Cup 2023 fixture against Nepal, Salman Butt stated that they erred by trying to bowl a lot of short balls.
He advised Indian fast bowlers to avoid bowling short-pitch deliveries on the slow Sri Lankan tracks because they don't have express pace.
"Indian bowlers dished out a lot of short-pitched deliveries against Nepal," Butt remarked. "Mohammed Siraj was hit for a six while doing that, and Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami also got hit. Unless it is a lively pitch, you cannot bowl short at this pace."
"These are slow pitches, and you have to be genuinely quick to trouble the batters with short balls. Their bowlers played after a while, so they might need some time to find their rhythm," he added.
Rohit Sharma and company will next be seen in action when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the third match of Super Fours at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 10.