KL Rahul is at his best when he has nothing to lose: Shane Watson

Former Australia skipper and veteran batter Shane Watson has said that India's opening batter KL Rahul should bat freely. Rahul's strike rate has been a talking point for some time and even in his last innings, the right-handed batter took 56 balls to score his 51* runs. 

Meanwhile, Watson has stated that Rahul is one of his favorite batters and he should look to dominate the bowlers right from the word go in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup to be played in Australia. 

"KL Rahul is one of my favorite batters. To me when he is batting at his best, when he is aggressive, he takes the game on and is not trying to control the game. He has got that skill, when he is just reacting to the ball coming down, he has all the shots all around the ground against the best bowlers in the world," Watson was quoted by India Today. 

"I love seeing him when he feels like he's got nothing to lose, then he can even strike at 180 without taking too much risk. If he is able to do that (in Australia), there will be a lot of bowlers in trouble," said one of the best all-rounders to have played for Australia.

Watson also said that Indian batting looks strong for the World Cup, but their bowling is still a concern. The former Aussie player wants Mohammed Siraj to replace Jasprit Bumrah if the latter is not available for the all-important tournament. Bumrah is reportedly ruled out of the tournament, although an official confirmation from the BCCI is awaited.

"India have certainly got the batting to do incredibly well in Australian conditions but the biggest question mark is around their fast bowling. The spinners, Axar Patel and Yuzi Chahal are as good as anyone in the world in all conditions but fast bowling without Bumrah in particular, whether they can execute skills under pressure at the back end of the game. That is where teams will be trying to expose India. It is a genuine concern (lack of express pace), that is why Siraj will be a good option if Bumrah isn't there," Watson said.