IPL 207: I’ll Get A Chance To Bat At The Top Of The Order Now: Shane Watson

Dec 22, 2018 at 5:16 PM

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IPL 207: I’ll Get A Chance To Bat At The Top Of The Order Now: Shane Watson

With Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) top-order marred with several big injuries, Shane Watson feels his batting role will change in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

RCB skipper and opener Virat Kohli will remain on the sidelines for at least two weeks due to the shoulder injury he sustained during the Border-Gavaskar series. On the other hand, KL Rahul will miss the entire tournament with a shoulder injury, as he is likely to go under the knife for his troubled shoulder. Also, AB de Villiers, who has been given the captaincy duty in the absence of Kohli, is also doubtful for the tournament due to a back injury.

And Watson, who played as a middle-order batsman last season, is expecting to get promoted in the batting order this time around. The former Australia all-rounder had tasted good success at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals in the past and elevating him might prove to be

The former Australia all-rounder had tasted good success at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals in the past and elevating him might prove to be a masterstroke.

“I think my role will change a little bit, which is great. I’ll get a chance to bat at the top of the order now, which I’ve done most of my career. I’m happy to bat anywhere but if I get to bat up, I’ll enjoy that as well. I keep helping people whenever I can. There won’t be much of a change as I keep doing that every time I get a chance.”

Speaking about injuries to Rahul and Kohli, he said:

“Of course, it’s not ideal. They (Rahul and Kohli) are both great players and it’s going to be very challenging for us. But we’ve got great depth in our ranks. That’s one thing with RCB. We’ve got Kedar, Mandeep, Sarfaraz and the overseas batters as well. We are very fortunate to have that sort of depth in our ranks. I think we should be okay. With those two guys missing, plans will alter a little bit.”

The Bangalore-based outfit began the last season on a dismal note, winning just two of their first seven matches. However, they made a remarkable comeback in the second half of the tournament and sealed a

However, they made a remarkable comeback in the second half of the tournament and sealed a playoff berth by winning six of their last seven games. But Watson is confident of making a positive start this time around.

“I think we can continue the momentum we had in the back half of the tournament last year. We played incredibly well in the last half last year and there’s no reason why we can’t do that this time.”

“We learnt a lot as a team last season on how it clicked and really came together for us. I’m really confident we’ll get the ground running better this year. Our bowlers were the ones who turned things around last year and our bowlers are similar this time as well”.

Bowling has always been the weakness of this star-studded side but with Yuzvendra Chahal doing well and the addition of Tymal Mills, they can hope for a better bowling performance in the tenth edition.

“Obviously, the batting is going to be a bit different but we’ve got the depth. I think with our bowling as well we turned it around in the back half. With Tymal Mills in the line-up now, I’m really excited,” he concluded.

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