Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 7 (ANI): Shane Watson praised teenage Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi for his remarkable power-hitting ability across all parts of the ground and his fearless approach at the crease.
The former Australian all-rounder also heaped praise on India’s newly-appointed T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer’s ability to score runs on the off-side, while also lauding ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to bowl change-of-pace yorkers.
Speaking at a Kabuni event at the Jio World Convention Centre, BKC in Mumbai on Sunday, Watson opened up on three qualities he would like to steal from current Indian cricketers. The Aussie started with 15-year-old Sooryavanshi’s name, saying that he would like to have Sooryavanshi’s explosive power-hitting ability and fearless mindset.
“Number one, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, for the power that he’s got all around the ground, not just straight or to the leg side, it’s also over the off side. And also to go with that, Vaibhav’s fearless mindset as well. He has got, he has got no fear of getting out, which is something that I struggled with for a decent part of my career,” he said in a video shared with ANI.
Sooryavanshi, on Saturday, was named in India’s T20I squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games, and became the youngest-ever player to be picked for the Indian national side, breaking a 36-year-old record held by legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar had made his India debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16, setting a record that stood for a very long time.
Watson then praised Iyer for his exceptional ability to power the ball over the off-side, particularly over cover and mid-off against both pace and spin. Watson described it as a rare and highly valuable skill that Iyer executes effortlessly.
“I would say another skill–Shreyas Iyer’s ability to be able to hit the ball with power over the off-side is something that he doesn’t realise how incredibly good a skill that is. He does it so effortlessly over mid-off and over cover in particular, whether it’s quicks or spin,” Watson said.
Watson further said that he would have loved to possess Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to vary his pace and execute yorkers, describing them as skills he never had to the same level during his own career.
“And the other one is, which certainly would I would give anything to have had that skill, is Jasprit Bumrah’s change of pace and yorker. I didn’t have that, not to that extent,” Watson said. (ANI)
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