IPL 2018 | Shane Watson admits having “extra motivation” while playing against Rajasthan Royals
Shane Watson has admitted that he had extra motivation to do well against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals in the last match in Pune. The burly Aussie all-rounder has also added that understanding the inner workings of how MS Dhoni goes about his things has been really special for him.
When IPL’s return to Chennai was cut short after protests over Cauvery water dispute, Chennai Super Kings fans, with help from the team management, took the ‘Whistle Podu Express’ to travel all the way to Pune to show their love and support on their team and it was Shane Watson, who took the onus on his own shoulder to light up the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium with a stroke-filled century on Friday as the team dismantled Rajasthan Royals by 64 runs.
However, for Watson, the century became extra special as it came against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals, for whom, he earlier had a century against the team that he is playing for right now. While emphasizing that there was no ill-will towards the inaugural edition champions for not having him in the team, the big Aussie has stated that he had that extra motivation during the clash.
“There’s no doubt I had a bit of extra motivation tonight, that’s for sure. To be able to play against Rajasthan, and to put be able to put in the performance that I did tonight – I’m just incredibly grateful to get the opportunity that I have from CSK who picked me in the auction. I’m glad I could repay the faith tonight,” Watson was quoted as saying by Wisden India.
“I understand the reality of franchise cricket, that’s really as simple as it is,” he said. “Whether it’s Rajasthan picking me up or not, obviously they have their reasons why they didn’t pick me up. I fully understand that in the end for these franchises, it’s business. And now this part of my journey with CSK, what a great franchise.”
Over the years, Chennai Super Kings have always been the most adored and feared team in the league and much of that can be credited to MS Dhoni - the city’s favourite son - for the way he led the team up front. The team has been the only franchise to reach the playoffs in each season of the IPL they have participated in and Watson believes that it was a great opportunity for him to learn how MS Dhoni thinks about the game.
“I saw it from afar in the eight years I was with Rajasthan. I always admired what CSK were able to do. They were able to always gel as a unit, and play well under pressure. So to be able to really be involved in understanding the inner workings of how MS (Dhoni) goes about things, how Stephen Fleming goes about things, how they really complement each other and the other senior players around, is really special to be a part of.”
Watson will turn 37 in June and his career has been a proper case-study of how to battle injuries and come back stronger each time critics write him off. Post the 2016 IPL, he was on a downhill spiral, before a good season of the Big Bash League brought his quality to the fore once again. After Friday’s knock, Warner stated that he had been ‘dreaming’ about such a knock for a long time.
“Your body gets used to doing what you want it to do. I’ve certainly got to really look after myself. I had to do it throughout my career, I’ve had a lot of injuries. So it continues to be an evolution of how I manage my body. Whether it’s training, recovery or lead-up to games, I’ve had to learn the hard way for a majority of my career from a physical point of view, how to be able to stay fit. In the end, I’ve honestly been dreaming of days like this over the last couple of years, to play an innings like this.
“Mental (preparation) is a big part of it. Especially when I’m a little bit tired like I was tonight after batting for 20 overs. But look, you get used to doing what you have to do. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to open the batting for a big part of my career, so you sort of
