Shane Watson who played a stellar role as captain and batsman in his team’s easy win said he took the call on Saturday night to play against the Chennai Super Kings.
“I got through training well yesterday; it was nice to be able to come back and get into things again. I was really disappointed I missed the first four games. I obviously love coming over here (with Rajasthan) and playing. One positive is that it meant I could freshen up a little bit as well, after the niggle I had, it’s worked out nicely in the end.’’
The Australian struggled to walk as he stepped into the press conference hall and that immediately prompted the question if he felt comfortable in the middle. “Very comfortable, apart from cramping up now.
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“It’s very warm out there. When we left Australia, it was nice in the mid-twenties. It was starting to cool down a little bit, and over here it’s a fair bit hotter!
“So I am just getting used to the heat again.’’
Watson said it’s easy to walk into a winning side. “It’s great to be able to take over a team in such a great place. We played some great cricket, we had a couple of close games as well.
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“Steve Smith does an incredible job as a leader, he’s technically incredibly good. He did a brilliant job, and I’m very lucky to have him in and around the squad. It’s very lucky Rajasthan have someone of Steve Smith’s quality as a leader but also for his incredible batting skills.’’
When told of Stephen Fleming’s observation that it was a one-sided match, Watson felt that it would always be a good day when a team gets a chance to beat Chennai.
“They’ve got an incredible squad, they always have, and they’re always very hard to beat. Look, it’s a great thing to be on the right side of the victory of a game like today.
“We know the next time we play Chennai back in Chennai, they’ll always be up for the game. They’ve got match winners all the way through their batting line-up, so it was nice to be able to shut them down today.’’