"I don't think Shubman Gill should sit out when he is in such brilliant form" - Salman Butt 

New Zealand v India - 2nd ODI
Shubman Gill in action. (Pic: Getty)

Salman Butt believes that India must find a way to accommodate Shubman Gill in their playing XI for the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

The former Pakistan captain emphasized that Gill doesn't deserve to be benched, given that he has been in scintillating form across formats lately. He also reckoned that the youngster should replace KL Rahul, given that the latter has struggled to get going in his recent appearances.

Butt made these remarks during a live session on his YouTube channel on Friday, February 10.

"KL Rahul is a very good player," he said. "He is not in the best of form at the moment. India should consider utilizing an in-form player. This doesn't mean that Rahul won't remain in the scheme of things. I don't think Shubman Gill should sit out when he is in such brilliant form."
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Notably, Gill showcased stellar batting form during India's white-ball series against New Zealand in January. With 360 runs to his name, he was the leading run-getter in the three-match ODI series with a highest score of 208.

He also scored a fine century in the ensuing T20I rubber as well, remaining unbeaten on 126 in the crucial series decider in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul failed to fire with the bat during India's first innings of the ongoing Test against Australia in Nagpur. The senior batter scored 20 runs before getting out to debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy in the penultimate over of Day 1.


"Australia should open with Cameron Green in the next match" - Salman Butt

Salman Butt further stated that Australia should bring in all-rounder Cameron Green for the second Test of the ongoing four-match series against India.

He suggested that Pat Cummins and Co. should consider opening the batting with Green instead of Usman Khawaja. Butt opined that the youngster has the ability to score runs quickly, which will benefit Australia significantly on Indian pitches.

"Australia should open with Cameron Green in the next match and Usman Khawaja could be slotted into the middle order," he added. "By doing so, they will have a left-handed batter who can counter left-arm spin. Green can score runs quickly, which is very important in Indian conditions as it gets difficult to score runs easily when the spinners come into play."

It is worth mentioning that Green played as an opener in the absence of David Warner during Australia's three-match T20I series against India. The 23-year-old impressed many with his batting exploits, mustering 118 runs at an average of 39.33.

Green sustained a finger injury while playing the Boxing Day Test against South Africa last year and underwent surgery. He missed the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because of the same.

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