The absence of English opener Phil Salt won’t have a detrimental effect on the Kolkata Knight Riders, according to former IPL finalist Virender Sehwag. Phil Salt departed to join the England camp because of the English team’s international commitment prior to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 the following month. Pakistan will visit the Three Lions’ den, captained by Jos Buttler, for a four-match T20I series that will begin in Headingley on Tuesday.
Someone else will step up: Sehwag
In an interview with ESPNCricInfo, Sehwag asserted that the value of the KKR team will not drop as a result of Salt’s departure.
“The value of your team won’t decrease due to the absence of one player. Just the other guy has got to play well. The absence of one of your in-form players will matter. Due to his explosiveness Phil Salt will be missed,” Sehwag said.
“But it also possible that someone steps up and gives a better performance than Salt. I take it that he just needs to play one great match. I see it in positive direction. Also you have purchased the remaining players for such occasions,” he added.
Salt not the only departure from IPL
There are other Englishmen besides Phil Salt who quit their IPL teams to rejoin their national teams. Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Reece Topley, and Moeen Ali are among the players who have bid farewell to their respective teams. The England team, who will go into the T20 World Cup as the defending champions from the 2022 edition, will benefit greatly from the four matches against Pakistan.
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