Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has backed Rohit Sharma to perform well in the upcoming five-match Test series against England, starting from August 4. Butt feels that the Indian opener is an “outright match-winner” with enough experience under his belt to avoid childish mistakes in English conditions.
Last month, Rohit failed to score heavily in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Hitman scored 34 runs in the first innings and was dismissed by Trent Boult for just 30 runs off 81 balls on the Reserve Day.
Despite his forgetful outing with the bat in the WTC final, Butt lauded Rohit’s efforts in the game, arguing that the Southampton pitch was the “most difficult” one in the past few years of Test cricket.
Speaking with Waheed Khan on Cricket Baaz, the 36-year-old said, “He’s a free-flowing stroke player so his innings give you an early advantage. If you see there was so much swing in the WTC final but he wasn’t dismissed early and provided decent starts.
“This was the most difficult pitch to bat on in the past couple of years. Rohit is an outright match-winner. He has enough experience to not make childish mistakes. I don’t think he’ll have any issue in adjusting in England,” Butt added.
The 33-year-old batsman is currently spending quality time with his family in London.