T20 World Cup 2022 | India should include Mohammed Siraj if Jasprit Bumrah is not available, opines Shane Watson

Jasprit Bumrah has been battling back issues recently and so there are chances that India might not be able to avail his services at the T20 World Cup. He recently missed the Asia Cup and has again sustained an injury culminating in his unavailability for the South Africa series. The team will now wait for his medical reports to know whether he will play in  theWorld Cup or not. 

Mohammed Siraj has replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the South Africa series. Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson is of the opinion that India should continue with Siraj in the World Cup in case they miss their ace pacer. 

"The player I would put in if Jasprit’s 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.

"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."

With T20 World Cup to be played in October, Jasprit Bumrah will be hoping to play a key role in their pace department. The team will start their campaign against Pakistan and would like to lift their first T20 World Cup trophy after 2007.