'KL Rahul is one of my favourite batters' - Shane Watson opens up on KL Rahul amid strike-rate concerns

KL Rahul, Shane Watson (Image Source: Twitter)

KL Rahul is one of India’s finest batters and he has been under the radar for his poor strike rate of late. A keen fan of Rahul would know that the batter has all the potential to go all blazing right from the start. However, since his return to the Indian squad after recovering from Covid-19, the 30-year-old has not been able to replicate his best form. 

Shane Watson, the former Australian allrounder, has opened up on the Indian opener and said that Rahul bats at his best when he has nothing to lose. In a conversation with PTI, the former Australian said that the batter has all the ability to thrash the world’s best bowlers if he is at his best. 

"KL Rahul is one of my favourite 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 as saying. 

I love seeing him when he feels like he's got nothing to lose: Shane Watson

Regarding Rahul’s strike rate, Watson added that the batter must play with a free mindset. He added that a lot of bowlers will be in trouble during the 20-20 World Cup 2022 if he can play with that mindset. 

“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,” added Watson. 

The former Australian opener also expressed his concern about the Indian bowling and said that the team needs to work on it at the earliest. “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 (Yuzvendra) Chahal, are as good as anyone in the world in all conditions but the 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,” Watson said.