Watson not thinking of Australian captaincy

Jaipur: Shane Watson could be in contention for the captaincy job of Australia if Michael Clarke misses out the limited overs series against India beginning on October 10 but the all-rounder today said that he was not thinking about the leadership role.

Watson sought to evade a question when he was indirectly asked if he was ready to captain the Australian side if Michael Clarke misses out the India series due to fitness issues. "I am batting and bowling and have a big role in the team. I am not thinking about captaincy and I am happy to contribute with the bat and ball," Watson, who is playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Champions League Twenty20, said. "Michael Clarke is an experienced player and we would miss him if he is unable to come to India. He has vast experience and is a good player of spin," said Watson who has stepped down as vice-captain of Australia. "We (Australia) played good cricket but few bad moments resulted in our defeat (in the Ashes). We could have won a few games but it was disappointing that we could not do it. The last six months since our tour of India have been good. "We have a good batting coach and feel confident that we can win back the Ashes," said Watson after slogging at the the nets ahead of Rajasthan Royals` CLT20 match against Perth Scorchers here on Sunday. Talking about his own form, Watson, who hit a big hundred in the Ashes and a brilliant 140 in the subsequent ODI series, said, "I am working on technical aspects of my batting. I was finding a bit difficulty in playing in-coming ball. Playing against the best in world has given me lot of confidence." Watson said he was not worried about his constantly changing batting spot. "I am playing at number four for Rajasthan Royals and have played at various slots for my country. I feel it was big opportunity to adjust for various scenarios. Throughout my career I have played like that. It is for the team for which I have to contribute at any slot," he said. Rajasthan Royals have won all their home matches on the lively Sawai Mansingh wicket but Watson does not see any problems for his side on slower wickets. "Yes, we have been recently on a lively Jaipur wicket but we may be playing on Delhi wicket (one semifinal and final) which assists spin. We have very good players of spin in Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny. We have amazing depth in squad and we can adapt to any surface," he said. PTI