Watson key to Australia's title hopes

Australia have done well in Tests and ODIs but not so much in T20s. The World T20 is the one trophy that has eluded their grasp so far.

The way they approached their three T20s against India in January gave the impression that either they don't take T20s seriously (key players left the series mid-way) or that they were unsure about their final squad for the World T20 and so were experimenting with players and their batting spots.

Strength
Assessing the conditions and forming strategies around them is a big challenge in world events, but it won't be an issue for Australia, whose players form a big part of the overseas IPL contingent. No format values game-changers more than T20 does and Australia's batting order is full of them, whether it's David Warner at the top with Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja or Aaron Finch; and Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh at the end.

If things go horribly wrong, Australia have the solid Steven Smith to steer them out of trouble. Smith's captaincy is the best thing to have happened to them in this format. He is always a couple of overs ahead of the game.

Their biggest challenge with regard to their batting order will be to find the right spots for everyone, because they have four quality openers, none of whom can bat in the middle order.

Weakness
The absence of Mitchell Starc is their biggest weakness. Starc can pick up wickets in the Powerplay and restrict runs towards the end of the innings. Without him their bowling lacks class and depth.

On good pitches against good opposition, the batting orders of both sides cancel each other out, and that's when you need a spell of four overs for 24 to tilt the balance in your favour. Smith doesn't have a single bowler who he can turn to when the opposition gets on a roll.

Nor does he have the slow-bowling resources to fall back on if the pitches favour spin, which is likely to happen as the tournament progresses. We are getting towards the end of the cricket season in India, so some of pitches might already be tired. In Adam Zampa and Maxwell, Australia have, at best, two middling spin options. If they don't win the trophy this time around as well, it will be due to their bowling strength, or rather, the lack of it.

X-factor
They don't rate him that much in Australia but when it comes to playing T20s in India, Watson is their most prized asset. He has been an integral part of the IPL since its inception and knows what works and, more importantly, what doesn't in this part of the world. He is at his best at the top of the order and Australia ought to look to make sure he doesn't bat any lower than three. Watson is equally adept at playing pace and spin on slow, low Indian pitches, because he has the unique ability of staying low at all times. For a tall man, his hands are reasonably low and he utilises that further by collapsing the back knee while playing off the front and back feet.

Watson can also give you four good overs in the middle. Slow bouncers, if they bounce at the right height, are the toughest to hit in India, and he bowls them well.