"They don’t have to come on foot from England" - Salman Butt asks Pakistan to focus on their strengths rather than banking on India being tired
Former Pakistan batter Salman Butt has ridiculed suggestions that India could be tired by the time they reach the UAE for the T20 World Cup 2021 later this year. He jested that the Indian team will not be coming on foot from England to get tired.
India have been in England for over three months now. There was an extended break after the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand following which they began playing a five-Test series against England. Four of the five matches are complete, with the final Test scheduled to begin on September 10.
Salman Butt rejected any chance of the Indian players being tired after the England series and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in response to a question posted on his YouTube channel.
“They (India) don’t have to come on foot from England, that they will get tired reaching the UAE. The IPL starts next week. They are attuned to playing more cricket,” Salman Butt said.
Butt added that Pakistan should focus on strengthening their own side rather than focusing on the weaknesses of India.
“Don’t depend on the other team being tired. Focus on strengthening yourself so that even if the other team comes at full strength, we will be able to beat them, we will be able to give them a tough time.”
"They would have a plan on how to go about during the IPL" - Salman Butt believes Indian think-tank would have a strategy for player management
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Salman Butt believes that the Indian management will have a well-thought-out plan for player management ahead of the T20 World Cup. He said they would try and manage the workload of players even during the second leg of the IPL to avoid burnout.
“I am sure their think-tank would have thought about all this and would have made necessary preparations. They would have a plan on how to go about during the IPL, because, obviously, the T20 World Cup is scheduled after the IPL. That will be part of the list of their top preferences.”
The T20 World Cup schedule will be after the conclusion of the second leg of this year's IPL. Pakistan play India in what will be both sides' first match of the tournament.