'Use straight bat, hit off the backfoot' - Shane Watson's valuable advice for Australia ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has shared valuable advice with all the Aussie batters ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, slated to begin on February 9. Watson advised the visitors to use a straight bat and to play backfoot shots to not only survive, but also to do well against Indian bowlers.

Citing an example from his career, the former player said that he tried to be a different player when he came to India and was left confused about whether to use his feet to counter spin or wait for the ball to come to him. He explained that later he mastered the art and that was the reason he found success in the subcontinent.

“Using a straight bat to be able to hit off the back foot through the off side or the leg side. I wish I had got that through my head and then developed that instinct earlier because it's much lower risk. All the good players, especially from India, very rarely do they use cross-bat shots, especially for a pull shot. They'll hit it with a straight bat to be able to hit it through the leg side," Watson told ESPNcricinfo.

"One thing I didn't really do [in India] was just accept what I had at that moment in time, instead of trying to be someone else. I was thinking, 'Should I use my feet this time to get out and cover the ball from spinning or should I sit deep in the crease', instead of going, 'Well this is what I've got right now, and this is the best way for me to try and have success,” he added.

Watson believes Jadeja can be massive threat to Australia

Watson reckoned that Ravindra Jadeja’s speed and accuracy makes him extremely difficult to pick for the right-handed batters. He mentioned that the left-arm bowler has the ability to turn the ball and can also make it skid, and that is why he can be a massive threat to Australia in the upcoming series.

“Facing him when the ball is turning compared to when the ball is not turning is just chalk and cheese. It's like you're facing a different bowler when the ball is turning because he's flatter, he's faster, he's accurate all the time. He's always at the stumps. One will turn or one will skid through. He's very hard to be able to work through as a right-hander, to find a method that's going to not just survive but also score runs,” Watson said.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store