IND vs PAK: Shane Watson Identifies Death Bowling As Team India's Main Weakness

Prior to Team India’s first match in the present T20 World Cup 2022, former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson expressed worries about their death bowling struggles. 

While their bowling staff is excellent, Watson said in an interview with TOI that their late-inning performances are a major cause for concern. He did, however, mention that Rohit Sharma, a seasoned player, is anticipated to captain the team magnificently during the competition. 

India’s Bowling My Main Worry: Shane Watson

Shane Watson clarified,  “India’s bowling is my main worry. They boast world-class spinners, including Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, who are also strong fast bowlers”. 

He went on to say, “My biggest question mark is on India’s defensive bowling skills, especially at the dead end of the game (death overs). But India have got a skilled captain in Rohit and also as a leader, he’s going to be directing the team in a great way.” 

Particularly the death-bowling has recently lost the squad multiple games. Furthermore, the Men in Blue are in worse shape now that Jasprit Bumrah is not playing. 

Their superb death-bowling display in the exhibition match versus Australia may have greatly boosted their self-confidence. In the last two overs, Harshal Patel and Mohammed Shami maintained composure and helped the team defeat the hosts by six runs. 

Shane Watson Predicts Arshdeep Singh To Do Good

Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm pacer, gets Shane Watson’s support and praise for his ability to bowl precise yorkers in the final few overs. He emphasised how the young player has shown himself both on the international and Indian Premier League (IPL) stages. 

The 41-year-old proposed that Arshdeep would profit from Australia’s larger grounds. Bhuvneshwar Kumar might also play a significant part for Rohit Sharma and Company considering his expertise, he said. 

Shane Watson continued, “Arshdeep Singh is one of the best defensive bowlers India have got. His ability to execute yorkers at the back end of the game is amazing. We’ve seen that in the IPL and we’ve seen that for games he’s played for India as well. 

“He’s got these great defensive skills and that is one thing that India definitely needs in the T20 World Cup. Arshdeep is going to be great with his pace. He’s bowling really well and he’s going to be handling Australian conditions, especially on bigger grounds. 

“In India, the grounds are a bit smaller. So, it’s a bit more challenging to be able to defend whereas in Australia (there are) bigger grounds. 

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s execution at the death can be very, very good as well. He is an experienced bowler and India can use his experience in Australia.” 

The T20 World Cup 2022 will begin with a match between the Indian squad and the Pakistani team. The much-anticipated match between the two bitter rivals will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23. 

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