Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt reckons Mitchell Starc can make things difficult for Indian openers – Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – in the World Test Championship final. The left-arm seamers, who can get the ball to move back into the right-handers, have troubled the Indian right-handers in the past.
Starc is known to swing the ball both ways and he can breathe down the neck of the Indian batters. Furthermore, barring Ravindra Jadeja, India has a right-handed dominated batting order and Starc could cherish bowling with the Dukes ball, which is known to swing in English conditions.
Meanwhile, Starc took three wickets in Test matches against India in the Border-Gavaskar series 2023 while playing in tough Indian conditions but the Oval pitch is expected to provide him assistance. In fact, Starc doesn’t have a great record while playing against India as he has scalped 44 wickets in 17 Test matches at an average of 38.68.
On the other hand, Starc has scalped 33 wickets in nine Test matches he has played in England at an average of 31.27. Starc has picked 306 wickets in 77 Test matches for Australia.
“If Mitchell Starc gets it right, he can surely make things difficult for Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. He has a very good inswinger and bowls at a good pace. We have seen that Rohit Sharma is vulnerable against left-armers. However, if those two get set, they can put Australian bowlers under pressure,” said Butt said while talking on his YouTube Channel.
Former Pakistan skipper added the Oval conditions will suit India’s batting line-up. Indian batters will look to deliver their best and the team registered a huge win of 157 runs against England in 2021 at the Oval, which will give them a lot of confidence.
“India has a stronger batting lineup out of the two teams. Also, the conditions that you would get at The Oval won’t be the typical English conditions. It isn’t similar to Lords or Leeds where the ball tends to swing a lot for the first couple of hours. The Oval offers pace and bounce which makes shot-making easier,” Butt added.
The Indian openers – Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – will look to give a good start to their team and they are going to hold the key at the top of the order.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has opened up on new All-Star Game format. James,… Read More
India’s football icon Sunil Chhetri has had a glorious career as he has ticked the… Read More
East Bengal FC midfielder Madih Talal has been ruled out of the rest of the… Read More
Renowned Tennis journalist Christopher Clarey has shed light on Novak Djokovic appointing Andy Murray as… Read More
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted he has no regrets after dropping Marcus… Read More
India’s wicket-keeper bat Sanju Samson has revealed head coach Gautam Gambhir has played an instrumental… Read More