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'He's fast, can swing the ball. If Bumrah not fit, my pick is...': Watson names India pacer's T20 World Cup replacement
Amid the uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah's availability, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has backed the selection of another 28-year-old whom he feels can be the ideal replacement.
India's preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup received a major blow in the form of an injury to premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The 28-year-old hasn't officially been ruled out of the marquee tournament but there are speculations that he might not be able to play. After playing the 2nd and 3rd T20Is against Australia, Bumrah complained of pain in the back after which the BCCI sent out an official statement where they mentioned that the fast bowler is indeed hurt and ruled him out of the South Africa T20Is.
Now on to the big question. Who replaces Bumrah if he is not fit for the World Cup? Names of Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, both of whom are in the reserves list have been doing the rounds. Amid the uncertainty over Bumrah's availability, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has backed the selection of another 28-year-old whom he feels can be the ideal replacement. Watson believes that Mohammed Siraj can be a handful on the Australian pitches which offer pace and bounce.
Siraj has been a wonderful Test bowler for India but in limited-overs, he hasn't received as many opportunities. With 40 wickets from 13 Tests, Siraj has established himself as one of the certainties in the Playing XI; however, his numbers in ODIs and T20Is are a bit underwhelming with 18 wickets from 15 matches. But if Bumrah fails to make it in time, Watson envisions Siraj to bring the one element India would lack.
"The player I would put in if Jasprit is not available is Mohammad Siraj, because of the firepower he presents. Without Bumrah, that's the one thing India won't necessarily have, which is vital on Australian wickets on the bigger grounds with the pace and bounce," Watson said on the ICC Review Show.
"Siraj is great with the brand-new ball. He is fast, he swings the ball away but also his defensive skills are pretty good. And he has got better over the last couple of years, with what we have seen in the IPL. So, for me he is probably going to be the one who is going to have the most impact."
The former World Cup and IPL winner weighed in on India's reliance on Bumrah, saying that without him, the Men in Blue's chances of winning the T20 World Cup might suffer "Honestly, I think it’s going to have a huge impact on India's chances of winning the T20 World Cup," Watson said.
"He is one of the best bowlers in the world and India in particular, with their fast bowlers, he is the main guy who can take wickets with the brand-new ball but also is an incredible defensive bowler at the back end of the game. So, if Jasprit is not available to play in this T20 World Cup, then India's chances drop quite a bit."
