India should include Mohammed Siraj if Jasprit Bumrah is not available for T20 World Cup, says Shane Watson

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson believes India should include Mohammed Siraj if Jasprit Bumrah is unavailable because of a back injury in the T20 World Cup. Bumrah’s chances of taking part in the T20 World Cup are hanging by a thin thread as he is currently out of action due to injury.

The ace paceman had recently returned to action in the T20I series against Australia and played two matches before the recurrence of the same injury. Bumrah was then ruled out of the T20I series against South Africa with Mohammed Siraj replacing him in the squad.

Bumrah is India’s best bowler and Siraj will have big shoes to fill if he replaces him in the T20 World Cup squad. Furthermore, India hasn’t been at their best with the ball, especially while bowling at the fag end of the innings. Siraj has played five T20I matches in which he has taken five wickets but he has a high economy rate of 10.45.

On the other hand, bowlers like Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar, both part of India’s standby players list for the T20I showpiece, are waiting in the wings. Shami recently recovered from Covid-19 while Chahar has been in decent form in the ongoing series against South Africa.

Watson believes Siraj has shown the right improvement in the last few years and he should be included in India’s squad.

“The player I would put in if Jasprit’s not available is Mohammad Siraj, because of the firepower he presents,” Watson said on the ICC Review. “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.

“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’s got better over the last couple of years, with what we’ve seen in the IPL. So, for me he’s probably going to be the one who is going to have the most impact.”

India’s death bowling has been their Achilles Heel in the recent past and Watson reckons the Rohit Sharma-led team’s chances of going all the way in the T20 World Cup will considerably drop if Bumrah is officially ruled out of the major event.

“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’s not available to play in this T20 World Cup, then India’s chances drop quite a bit.”