Australia determined to win, says Watson

Now a replacement for Andrew Symonds, he was the obvious first choice all-rounder before frequent breakdowns kept him out of action. 8220;It8217;s a long story,8221; Watson said after Thursday8217;s training session. 8220;How much time have you got?8221; he asks.

8220;During my initial years, no matter how hard I trained, I never used to let go until I was completely satisfied that I got the results I8217;d set out to achieve. That took a toll on my body. I8217;m a lot smarter now, I don8217;t mind if I skip a few hard exercises,8221; he said. Watson8217;s role in this team will require him to bowl long spells alongside Stuart Clark, and to keep up the pressure even as the impact bowlers 8212; Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson 8212; bowl in short bursts. 8220;My style of bowling suits Indian conditions and I8217;m happy to bowl a particular length and bowl wicket to wicket,8221; he said. 8220;I can adapt to any role to play Test cricket.8221;

The unofficial two-day encounter against an RCA XI starting on Saturday is practically a home game for Watson. At the RCA Academy, there8217;s a huge photo of Watson in his Rajasthan Royals attire. His impressive performances through those 45 days helped him fight back into the Australian set-up. The next 45 days will be a different cup of tea, but Watson will be hoping Jaipur again provides a happy spark to his stop-start Test career.