All posts tagged: Shane Watson

‘Varun Chakaravarthy playing through pain’: Shane Watson claims KKR star desperate ‘to contribute’ in IPL playoff race

‘Varun Chakaravarthy playing through pain’: Shane Watson claims KKR star desperate ‘to contribute’ in IPL playoff race

Published by Parlour News

Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson made a huge revelation after his side’s win against Mumbai Indians. The former cricketer praised mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, pointing out that he has been playing through ‘pain’ due to a hairline fracture in his left foot. Shane Watson made a huge revelation about Varun Chakaravarthy. (PTI) Chakaravarthy suffered the injury while fielding during KKR’s away game against Delhi Capitals on May 8. He missed their next game vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 13. But after their defeat to RCB, Chakaravarthy returned for the successive matches against Gujarat Titans and MI, not fully fit. Also Read: ‘Release Hardik Pandya’: Michael Vaughan tells MI, proposes shock KKR captaincy move for IPL 2027 ‘Playing through a bit of pain’ After the win against MI, Watson said, “Well, I’m not exactly sure where he is on his rehab journey at the moment. All I do know is he’s obviously playing through a bit of pain at the moment, which just shows how brave he is, how much he wants to …

‘His skill development at 21 is astonishing’

‘His skill development at 21 is astonishing’

Published by Parlour News

3 min readMay 13, 2026 03:16 PM IST Over the years, Shane Watson has watched enough IPL careers begin to recognise when a young player possesses something out of the ordinary. The former Australia all-rounder has shared dressing rooms with some of the game’s biggest stars and also seen raw teenage talent develop into established international cricketers. And in Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Watson believes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a player with that kind of rare potential. The KKR assistant coach said Raghuvanshi reminded him of a young Sanju Samson, whom he first saw as a teenager during their Rajasthan Royals days. “I’ve been fortunate over the years to see some unbelievably talented young cricketers in the IPL,” Watson told reporters before KKR’s match against RCB on Wednesday. “I remember seeing Sanju Samson as a 17-year-old and being blown away by his skill level. Angkrish is another one of those players.” Raghuvanshi first caught attention during KKR’s title-winning IPL 2024 season before becoming one of their more dependable batsman in 2025. He also began IPL 2026 …

‘You think you were Usain Bolt?’ — Zaheer Khan finally reveals what he said to Ponting in 2010 Test | Cricket News

‘You think you were Usain Bolt?’ — Zaheer Khan finally reveals what he said to Ponting in 2010 Test | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Apr 11, 2026 07:41 AM IST Ricky Ponting had barely taken three steps towards the pavilion when it landed. He stopped. He turned. He pointed his bat. The cameras at the PCA Stadium in Mohali caught it all on October 1, 2010 — but only now, speaking to The Indian Express, has Zaheer Khan filled in what the stump microphones could not. ALSO READ |  Full Zaheer Khan interview Ponting had just been run out by a stunning direct throw from Suresh Raina, a dismissal tight enough for the third umpire and frustrating enough to make the long walk back feel even longer. As the Australian captain moved past the celebrating Indian huddle, Zaheer leaned in. The gist of it: did Ponting fancy himself as fast as the world’s greatest sprinter? or in his words, “You think you were Usain Bolt?” “Entire huddle heard that!” Zaheer Khan tells The Indian Express. He laughs when the moment is put to him. He confirms the sledge, that he intended Ponting carries in his mind …

‘Abhishek Nayar knows every player on the planet’: Shane Watson hails KKR head coach’s ‘intel’ after IPL 2026 Auction | Cricket News

‘Abhishek Nayar knows every player on the planet’: Shane Watson hails KKR head coach’s ‘intel’ after IPL 2026 Auction | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Former Australia all-rounder and Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson recently left stunned by the level of preparation by KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar for the IPL 2026 auction that concluded in Abu Dhabi and lavished praised on the Mumbaikar’s depth of knowledge about every player in the world. KKR had entered the IPL 2026 auction with the biggest purse, over 60 crore rupees, with a heavy rebuilding act to be carried out. Knight Riders made a big splash in the IPL mini auction in Abu Dhabi when they snapped up the highly-sought after Cameron Green for a whopping Rs 25.20 crore. The three-time champions, who last won the title in 2024 also snapped up New Zealand’s Finn Allen for Rs 2 crore and express pacer Matheesha Pathirana for Rs 18 crore. The Knights also signed up a bunch of unheralded unacapped talent, involving a mixture of strengths. Watson commended Nayar’s impressive scouting range and said: “I’ll say this straight away, I think Abhishek Nayar knows just about every cricketer on the planet. His …

IPL 2026: Shane Watson named new KKR assistant coach | Cricket News

IPL 2026: Shane Watson named new KKR assistant coach | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Former Australian all-rounder and two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winner Shane Watson was appointed the assistant coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday. The 44-year-old is the latest appointment to a revamped support staff, which has seen the likes of Chandrakant Pandit and Bharat Arun exit over the last few months. The latter left the three-time champions to become the bowling coach at Lucknow Super Giants. Watson will work in tandem with Abhishek Nayar, who was appointed the head coach last week. He played in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings, winning the league in 2008 and 2018. He retired at the end of the 2020 season after playing 145 matches, starting from the inaugural season. He played 59 Tests, 190 ODIs, and 58 T20Is for Australia, scoring over 10,000 runs and taking over 280 wickets across the three formats, and was also a key part of Australia’s 2007 and 2015 ODI World Cup-winning squads. Story continues below this ad “We are thrilled to welcome Shane Watson to …

‘Ridiculously talented’ Shubman Gill won’t find it difficult to navigate different formats: Shane Watson | Cricket News

‘Ridiculously talented’ Shubman Gill won’t find it difficult to navigate different formats: Shane Watson | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Navigating three formats as a batter in cricket may be a challenge but Shubman Gill should have no problem in doing so, accordoing to former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson. Gill has this year become a regular in all formats with the Indian management earmarking him as a future full-time captain of all three sides. He is already leading in Test and ODI cricket and is vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is. “It does take time (to make adjustments), and it’s through trial and error that you really realise exactly what you need to do to make those adjustments, and playing in different conditions as well,” Watson is quoted as saying by PTI. “But Shubman is a ridiculously talented batter. He’s got an amazing technique. It’s not going to take him long at all to be able to really navigate his way through the different formats because when someone is as highly skilled as he is, it’s not going to take him too long.” Story continues below this ad Gill had established himself as one of …

IPL 2025 – You can never write off CSK: Shane Watson says MS Dhoni & Stephen Fleming still trying to address a few gaps | Ipl News

IPL 2025 – You can never write off CSK: Shane Watson says MS Dhoni & Stephen Fleming still trying to address a few gaps | Ipl News

Published by Webster

As the Indian Premier League race starts to heat up, former CSK star Shane Watson has offered fans a deeper look into what makes the Chennai Super Kings tick, even against the odds stacked against them. Reflecting on the early tremors in CSK’s campaign this season, Watson didn’t hold back. “It’s been a surprising start for CSK,” he said as an expert on JioStar. “They’re usually one of the most settled sides post-auction, but this year they’ve had to shuffle a bit more than usual. That’s not something you see often with this franchise.” Watson, who was a key part of CSK’s title-winning journey in 2018, drew a sharp contrast between the past and the present. “During my time with the team, Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni would have the roles for every player mapped out even before the tournament began. You always knew your job, and that clarity made all the difference. But this time, post-auction, there seem to be a few gaps they’re still working on.” Story continues below this ad Yet, true …

‘He should have batted ahead of Ashwin’: Shane Watson on MS Dhoni coming out at No. 9 vs RCB | Ipl News

‘He should have batted ahead of Ashwin’: Shane Watson on MS Dhoni coming out at No. 9 vs RCB | Ipl News

Published by Webster

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson batted for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be promoted up the batting order for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This was after CSK suffered a heavy 50-run defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chepauk on Friday with Dhoni coming in to bat at number 9 with Ravichandran Ashwin sent before him. The former CSK captain would play a vintage 16-ball 30 but the match was already out of CSK’s hands by then. “This is exactly what CSK fans come to see — 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin,” Watson said. “Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” he added. Story continues below this ad The …

‘Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli still batting incredibly well’: Shane Watson reckons India seniors can continue keeping youngsters out | Cricket News

‘Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli still batting incredibly well’: Shane Watson reckons India seniors can continue keeping youngsters out | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has backed India superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to continue leading the batting line-ups in the longer formats after their recent Champions Trophy displays. Kohli finished with 218 runs as India’s second-highest run-getter in the tournament with a century against Pakistan and a match-winning 84 against Australia in the semi-final. Meanwhile, skipper Rohit aggregated 205 runs after setting up a 252-run chase against New Zealand with a stroke-filled 76. Watson backed the senior duo to continue playing for India as long as they maintain the form and fitness at the top. Story continues below this ad “Those guys are still batting incredibly well. So, Virat, how well he batted during the tournament, the runs he got, he still is the best chaser that’s ever played the game of ODI cricket. And we saw how well he’s batting. And Rohit, in the final, that was an amazing innings against the New Zealand bowling attack,” Watson told in an interaction with Hindustan Times. “… if those guys are still batting as …

‘I hadn’t seen that side of him’: After Sam Konstas’s debut, here’s what surprised mentor Shane Watson | Cricket News

‘I hadn’t seen that side of him’: After Sam Konstas’s debut, here’s what surprised mentor Shane Watson | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Sam Konstas’ explosive batting on debut in Melbourne didn’t really come as a surprise for mentor Shane Watson. But what did, was the youngster’s showmanship during the Boxing Day Test. Konstas, 19, lit up the first session at MCG with his audacious strokeplay, especially taking on Bumrah. He was also involved in a physical clash with Virat Kohli, after the Indian star (his favourite cricketer) gave him a shoulder barge. Apart from that, he was seen egging up the crowd on the field, and also had words to exchange with Yashasvi Jaiswal while fielding at silly point. “My experience of dealing and working with Sam has been a very quiet, reserved personality,” Watson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “[He’s] a very deep thinker and certainly not an extrovert. But obviously what we saw in the Test match is that he absolutely is a showman. And he certainly rose to the occasion, as in he wasn’t overawed.” “I know through my experience of debuting…you just put a lot of pressure on yourself because it’s your …