Watson adamant that Siraj is best replacement for Bumrah

Former Australia batter Shane Watson believes pacer Mohammed Siraj could be a possible replacement for India with India's leading pacer Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup through injury.

The BCCI confirmed on Monday evening that Bumrah will miss the T20 mega event due to injury.

The persisent back injury also caused Bumrah to miss the Asia Cup as well as the ongoing three-match T20I series at home against South Africa.

Experienced seamers Mohammad Shami and Deepak Chahar are already on India's standby list for the upcoming T20 World Cup, while Mohammed Siraj is also in the running, given that he received a call-up to replace Bumrah for the remainder of the South Africa T20 series.

Watson is adamant that Siraj is the best option for India following the dreaded news of Bumrah's forced absence from the 20-over showcase Down Under.

"The player I would put in if Jasprit's not available, is Mohammed Siraj, because of the firepower he presents," Watson said on The ICC Review.

"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. Siraj is great with the new ball. He is fast and swings the ball away but, also has pretty good defensive skills. 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 to have the most impact," said Watson.