'What shot did Arshdeep Singh hit?' - Salman Butt attacks Rohit Sharma & Co. for shocking shot selection in IND vs SL 1st ODI

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt talked about India's poor performance with the bat in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. He said that the Rohit Sharma-led side have only themselves to blame as they played poor shots which led to their downfall.

India National Cricket Team failed to kick start the ODI series against Sri Lanka on high. The first match between the teams, which took place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, ended in a tie as the Rohit Sharma-led led side failed to chase the target of 231 runs.

India had a decent outing with the ball as they picked wickets at regular intervals and restricted Sri Lanka to a total of 230 runs. And with the kind of start they had in the chase, it was almost certain that they would chase the target quickly and go 1-0 up in the series.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (57) slammed a brutal fifty at the top as India had a 75-run opening stand between him and Shubman Gill. But after that, all the batters lost their wickets at regular intervals as Sri Lanka spinners were all over the batters and put pressure on the opposition.

India batters didn't play the shots they would've wanted, as most of the batters got out because of their own mistake. In the end, the team needed 1 run in just 14 balls with one wicket left. Arshdeep Singh, who walked out to bat at 11, instead of taking the single, went for a slog and got lbw as the match ended in a tie.

Salman Butt wasn't impressed by the shot selection of Indian batters. He pointed out that Shivam Dube got out on a good ball but blasted at Arshdeep Singh for not trying to nudge the ball and going for a glory shot instead. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"But overall, if you look at it. The shot selection of India's batters was poor. You can see that the batsmen got set, and when there were 8 out in the end, Shivam Dube got out. The ball was good. The ball came in. The spinners did very good bowling for Sri Lanka. But at the end, there are 13-14 balls. The match is a draw. You have to score one run. And what shot did Arshdeep come and hit on the first ball? He also came and hit across. And he got out on the first ball."

Salman Butt further stated that with the kind of performances India has put on of late and with the kind of bench strength that they have, no one expected them to lose the game in such a situation. He elaborated:

"So, they have themselves to blame. It is on their part. That a team like theirs, with their confidence levels, with their bench strength and their experience and with their recent results. Along with that. Nobody would have thought. That this India match will be lost the match from here. When there were 5 outs. Even then, it felt like it would take a partnership. They will do it easily. But the poor shots just continued. And this is a trait that India does not have. I mean it does not happen that they hit the wrong shots and get out.

"So, this is rare for them. But today, it has happened; it is cricket. Sometimes, it also happens that you are playing a lot of cricket; you are playing day in and day out, so you are not able to have concentration levels despite your wanting to concentrate. But you can't. But these are the players who have taken some time off. These are not the players who have played continuously. Some had a break. Some have been selected in one day. So, there is no excuse."

They brought their downfall - Salman Butt on India

Salman Butt further stressed that India suffered loss because of the shots that they played. He also credited Sri Lanka bowlers for their sensational performance, saying that with things not going right for them, it will be a huge confidence booster for them.

He added that to see poor shot selection from Indian batters was very rare and also shed light on the pitch, highlighting that it wasn't a poor surface as India managed over 75 runs in the 12 overs. Elaborating on the same, he explained:

"They hit bad shots and suffered. The spinners of Sri Lanka deserve credit. Overall their bowling gets credit. And see. The shot that Arshdeep hit, I mean he thought of doing a sensational finish. There is no excuse. They must have thought about it. I think they would know it better than anybody else. That they brought their downfall. But credit to Sri Lanka. They are not a big team, they are struggling, they are not that good in form, and combinations are not getting se; the captain is changing, and sometimes the coach is changing. So, for them, tying a match against a big team will boost their confidence in the next matches. They can build on this confidence and play better cricket.

"And India, they know what they have to put right. I think it was very clear. It was a day when most of their batters played poor shots. And this is such a thing we don't relate to them. We don't get such a chance for any analyst to say that India's batsmen have hit very bad shots. But they have hit today. It was not such a pitch that 230 wasn't a difficult score on it. If it was such a pitch then I would have mentioned it earlier. In 12 over, they had scored 75 on this pitch. So the runs were happening. Chasing 230 runs, it happens very easily in 42-45 overs. India will know; their batsmen to know it inside them they didn't bat well," he concluded.