IPL 8: Shane Watson says his 104* was mentally and physically taxing

Things have been falling in place when it matters most for Shane Watson. In the business end of the tournament, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder has come into his own. For one who thought captaincy was hindering his contribution to RR's success with bat and ball, the think-tank was only kind enough to relieve him of that additional responsibility to help the Queenslander focus on his game.

It may have been a mere coincidence that he recorded his highest T20 score in only the second game after handing over the reins to fellow Aussie Steve Smith. His unbeaten 104 off 59 balls laid the platform for RR making the playoffs with a nine-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday night.

Watson was only pleased with the way things have been going for him. Post his man-of-the-match award-winning performance, Watson said: “Probably not a coincidence that I was able to perform really well tonight (Saturday). It is one thing having three or four days to prepare for a game. Also crucial from both batting and bowling, to be able spend a couple of training sessions just to get my batting back to where everyone knows I can strike the ball cleaner, which I found in the last couple of days. In bowling, I have been working on the yorkers. There is no doubt bowling in the second innings and captaining as well would have been very tough and pretty scattered in the mind.”

Watson, who batted for the entire duration of an hour and 45 minutes that RR innings lasted, said it was physically draining. “Mentally as much as physically,” he said when asked how tough it was to be in the middle for full 20 overs. “It is about hot and humidity. Especially the humidity in Mumbai is very taxing. I was lucky that till 13th or 14th over, I did not face that many balls, it gave me a chance to freshen up a little bit. Obviously, I had prepared very well with the hydration and everything leading into the game. I left no stone unturned to give myself a chance to be able to get through the game without any problems. It is challenging in hot and humid. The body is more used to now than the couple of games when I was struggling with the heat.”

Watson began the season with 73 against Chennai Super Kings but fell wayward with both the bat and ball until Saturday, that is.

“I was definitely batting well, so it was a relief (getting the 100). I have not been scoring the runs that I wanted to in this tournament. I have got decent starts and faded through the tournament and that is disappointing. Bowling wise, I have been working hard on my bowling. Have been finding ways to be able to be effective in T20 cricket. Obviously, the injury I had at the start of the IPL I have not been able to execute the yorkers, change the pace, etc. The last couple of days, I was able to spend some time, concentrated on getting a few balls right, and under pressure executed my yorkers pretty well tonight. I just have to keep reinventing myself. People obviously see me play as a bowler. I know they line me up, so I have to find ways to be as effective as I can,” said Watson.

Watson was, however, erratic sending down as many as five wides including two successive ones in the 16th over that set up Yusuf Pathan to loft into Dhawal Kulkarni's hands at long-off. Watson finished with two for 38 in his four overs.

Royals, who began with five straight wins before losing their way, are obviously happy to be in the playoffs. Watson said: “We were up and down after first five games. We lost a bit of momentum, lost a couple of games, a couple of washouts. It has been a battle to get back to winning ways. It is great the way we started the tournament so well so we gave ourselves a chance. To be in the knockout game tonight gives us the chance to make it to the final. It is no doubt, there will be a huge weight off everyone's shoulders to be able to qualify for the finals,” said Watson.

Having scored at 11 an over in Power Play and sharing 80 for the opening wicket with Ajinkya Rahane, Watson said that 200 was the minimum total that they were looking at. “I just knew that the wicket was that good that we needed to try and be able to get upwards of 200, especially after the start Ajinkya and myself had. We knew we had to keep going. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up between myself and Ajinkya that stopped the momentum a bit but in the end, we were very lucky with the team we have got with so much depth with hitting power and skills,” Watson explained.

Watson, who made his ODI debut in 2002 and Test debut in 2005 for Australia, has been around for more than a decade playing international cricket. He had only a smile on his face when asked if he was surprised to see a 40-year-old Azhar Mahmood make his first IPL game this season for Kolkata Knight Riders in the crucial encounter.

“I was actually thinking that Azhar Mahmood played in the 1999 World Cup (for Pakistan) and he is still going around. Obviously, he is very skilful, no question about that. I have been playing against him for a long time now. In these conditions, we were very lucky to have got him out in the end, (courtesy) a very good catch by Ajinkya Rahane. He is a powerful hitter of the ball,” Watson said.

"Royals are known to pull off surprises with their player selections, giving little-known players the chance in crucial games. Saturday saw left-arm medium-pacer Barinder Singh Sran make his IPL debut. Watson only said that Sran would get more chances in the future. “Brainder came in in a big pressure game. He is a skilful young man,” he said.