"Needs to put muscle in his body" - Salman Butt on KL Rahul
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt reckons that Team India's KL Rahul will have to work on his fitness if he wants to play as a wicketkeeper-batter in international cricket.
Butt pointed out that Rahul, with his lean frame, won't be able to sustain, given that he will have to keep wickets and then bat in the top order. Butt pointed out that wicketkeepers like Jonny Bairstow, Jos Butter, and MS Dhoni have much stronger bodies compared to Rahul.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt remarked:
"If you see keepers who have batted in the top order, there is one similarity among them. The likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock, Jos Buttler, and even MS Dhoni, for that matter, are very strongly built. When you compare KL Rahul with these guys, he is very lean."
"I think he needs to put muscle in his body. There is a lot of wear and tear when you have keep wickets and then bat in the top order. I have seen Gilchrist put ice packs on his knees after keeping to ease the pressure," he added.
It is worth noting that KL Rahul's career has been marred by a lot of injuries. He had to be on the sidelines recently after he hurt his thigh while fielding during this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).
He underwent successful surgery in May and is set to make a comeback with the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 after having recovered from the injury.
"Packed with pace" - Salman Butt on India's Asia Cup 2023 squad
Speaking in the aforementioned video, Salman Butt also stated that the Indian selectors have picked a balanced side for the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup.
He noted that India's bowling unit looks stronger following star pacer Jasprit Bumrah's return. He added:
"India have announced a very balanced squad. Definitely, their bowling looks a lot stronger now since Jasprit Bumrah's return. Apart from him, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are back, which adds more experience. Prasidh Krishna is a tall bowler who extracts extra bounce. Then there are all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur. So, they are pretty much packed with pace."
India will face Pakistan in their first match of the Asia Cup 2023. The game will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on September 2.