Srinagar: Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has come in support of pacer Mohammad Siraj as a replacement for the doubtful Jasprit Bumrah in Team India squad for T20 World Cup.
Bumrah is battling from back issue that forced him to miss the Asia Cup.
He was also recently ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.
However, India are still waiting and hoping Bumrah proves his fitness for the T20 World Cup later this month.
Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar are among the standby players for India’s campaign in Australia, Mohammed Siraj has managed to knock on the doors as he replaced Bumrah for the remainder of the T20I series against South Africa.
“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,” Watson said.
Watson said that Siraj is good with new ball and he has done well in IPL.
“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,” Watson said.