The former Pakistan captain responded to the suggestion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opening for India in the T20 World Cup.
On 20 March last year, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opened for India in T20 against England. The two stalwarts of the Indian batting had made a blistering start to 94 runs in just 9 overs as India posted a mammoth total of 224/2. While Rohit scored 64 runs in just 34 balls, Kohli, who was then the captain of the team, remained unbeaten on 80 off 52 balls.
However, the pair has not opened for India since then, mainly due to the arrival of several other specialist openers. Younger Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad were picked after KL Rahul's consistent performances alongside Rohit, who are both open to their respective Indian Premier League franchises.
However, the idea of Rohit and Kohli re-entering the starting order is just too tempting to put aside. After Ishan Kishan's dismal performance in the first two T20Is against West Indies earlier this week, a fan asked former Pakistan captain Salman Butt about the possibility of the two Indian batsmen re-opening.
Butt, however, believes that India should go with specialist openers ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.
"I don't think so. I think KL Rahul will open with Rohit Sharma."
He said, 'Once Virat Kohli returns to form, he is the kind of player who can last till the end. He can build the innings and you can count on him. India wants such players in the middle order.
"If both are open and get out early, there will be a lot of pressure to handle the rest, especially in Australia."
Earlier in the second T20I of the series, Kohli played a crucial knock of 52 off 41 balls before India won the series against West Indies. On Saturday, the former India captain was given a bio-bubble break by the BCCI along with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.