Salman Butt, a former captain of Pakistan, praised the young Indian batsman Shubman Gill, praising him as one of the few players who still employ conventional cricket strokes and don’t rely on power striking.
Gill was selected Player of the Series during a three-match ODI series against the West Indies. In the current series against Zimbabwe, he has maintained a similar form.
He batted unbeaten at 82 in the first ODI as India thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to take a 1-0 series lead. In his 72-ball stay, Gill smashed 10 fours as the more aggressive batsman in his undefeated 192-run stand along with Shikhar Dhawan.
Salman Butt has frequently praised Gill for his batting talent, lavished the teenager with praise following his performance against Zimbabwe, and even found him to be similar to Australian greats Damien Martyn and Mark Waugh.
Salman Butt shared his view on the young gun on his Youtube channel. He was quoted as saying, “These days, people often talk about power-hitting. Power-hitters dominate the conversations among players as well as those in higher positions. In such a time, a player like Shubman Gill comes in who is a brilliant timer of the ball, who plays conventional cricket shots.
“Babar is one of them, and I think there are 4-5 players remaining in the world who play like that. Rest all are switching towards power-hitting.”
He added further, “Shubman Gill reminds me of players like Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn. They were tough players. It doesn’t feel like he smashes the ball too hard. He simply caresses it. He plays beautiful cricket.
“I love to watch him bat. When I saw him bat for the first time in Test cricket, I had said straightaway that he is going to be a big player.”
The 22-year-old has featured in seven ODIs, scoring 336 runs at a very impressive average of 67.2, but has yet to play a T20I.
