T20 World Cup: Shane Watson backs KL Rahul to come good in Adelaide

When the batsman is at his best, he is not timid at the crease

By Anis Sajan

Published: Tue 1 Nov 2022, 9:37 PM

Last updated: Wed 2 Nov 2022, 12:04 PM

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has backed KL Rahul to come good in India's match against Bangladesh in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Watson says the wicket in Adelaide is true and good for batting as the ball will come on to the bat nicely which will suit Rahul’s style of play.

He went on to say that Rahul’s body language at the crease is timid and when he is at his best he is certainly not timid.

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In Perth with the pace and bounce, the opener was tentative and flat footed and not ready to react which is making him fall on the off side and it's normal for a batsman who is not in form.

Currently, there is fear in his mind of getting out. He needs to clear his mind and once there is clarity he can take down any bowler in the world because of the shots he has and the Adelaide wicket is ideal for him.

But should India continue with Rahul after his three failures with Rishabh Pant warming the bench?

Watson believes Pant will anyway come in as Dinesh Karthik has hurt his back and might not be fit for the game against Bangladesh.

When asked about Pant’s patchy T20 career so far, Watson said that he is seen him closely at Delhi Capitals where he was the batting coach and has all the shots which he has shown in Test cricket and ODI.

Pant’s T20 career so far has not been good as he has not been able to find the perfect method and game plan to use in the shorter format to be more consistent for Team India.

But with time, he will surely good and his past record in Australia albeit in Test match should give him more confidence.

When asked about Babar Azam, who too is struggling with form, he said Babar, like David Warner and KL Rahul, has struggled on the wickets which has got a bit of nip and zip and you need luck to get through few overs and unfortunately he is not having that going his way.

Watson still backs Australia to make it to the semifinals even though he feels the captain Aaron Finch might not be fit due to the hamstring injury he suffered in the last game.

The former player believes the likes of Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis will come out all guns blazing in their last game against Afghanistan and make their net run rate better than England's.

Anis Sajan is the vice-chairman of the Danube Group