Suryakumar Yadav, an Indian hitter, is one of Shane Watson's top five picks among the world's growing T20 specialists, according to the renowned Australian cricketer, who claims the dynamic player has performed "extremely well" with the ICC T20 World Cup just around the corner.
Watson added, though, that he wouldn't be surprised if KL Rahul "explodes" at the T20 World Cup in October or November of this year. Rahul recently led India to a 3-0 ODI series triumph against Zimbabwe.
Suryakumar Yadav is the second choice, according to Watson's Tuesday statement. "He's batting really well, and I'd choose him at No. 2. KL Rahul, a teammate from India, has the talent to dominate in these circumstances in Australia, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if he goes off in the T20 World Cup there."
Ricky Ponting, a former captain of Australia, recently endorsed Suryakumar and said the 31-year-old would never "drop down" from a task, regardless of the circumstances.
Surya, who has played in 123 IPL games since 2012 and rather recently (in 2021) joined the national ODI and T20I setup, has scored 672 runs in 23 T20Is, including a century and five half-tons, and is being hailed as one of the potential stars at the World Cup Down Under. Surya has played in 123 IPL games overall.
In the IPL, Watson, who has joined the Delhi Capitals as their assistant coach, stated that Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, is his top choice.
"Babar Azam is the person I would choose first. The best T20I batsman in the world, he simply understands how to rule. He scores incredibly quickly against the best bowlers in the world, almost as if he's not even trying.
Watson remarked, "He's going to play very well in Australian conditions (at the T20 World Cup) as well. His technique is largely geared for Australian conditions."
Watson chose David Warner as his third pick for the opening slot based on the 35-year-performance old's at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, which the Kangaroos won, and his performance for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2022.
"In the most recent men's T20 World Cup, which the Australians won, Warner was named Player of the Tournament. He has also made some outstanding runs for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He'll be prepared to go because he'll have plenty of fire in his belly to make his mark in a T20 World Cup at home "put in Watson.
Jos Buttler of (England) will be ranked No. 4 for Watson. "No one could get him out during the IPL, or at least not very often. Virat Kohli was the only player to score four hundreds in an IPL game (in 2016). In T20 cricket, he is virtually impossible to dismiss when in form, as he has been. Off the best bowlers in the world, he can strike wherever he wants.
He's played the Big Bash and did well when I played with him at the Sydney Thunder a few years ago, so he is quite familiar with Australian conditions. Jos Buttler will therefore be dominant, predicted Watson.
In his World T20 XI Top-5, Watson chose Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi as number five and final because of the tall bowler's particular potential.
"His (Afridi's) knack for taking wickets is exceptional. We witnessed his skill at using that brand-new ball to dismiss the greatest batsmen during the most recent men's T20 World Cup. Given the fast, bouncy wickets and swinging ball in Australian conditions, I'd be quite shocked if he didn't truly dominate.
"My one minor worry with him is that if he doesn't take wickets right away, he might start to lose steam. He has probably been working on it, though. If he doesn't win here, I'd be shocked.