Shane Watson
Getty

A stalwart of Australian cricket, Shane Watson, could not hide his excitement looking at the opportunity to play under MS Dhoni. Watto, as he is called, was bagged by the Chennai Super Kings franchise this season.

The prolific all-rounder for Australia was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the recent editions. A legend of the IPL, Watson, started off his IPL career with the Rajasthan Royals.

After announcing his retirement from international cricket in 2016, Watto is currently enjoying a glittering franchise cricket career all over the world.

IPL 2018: Shane Watson Finds the Idea of Playing Under MS Dhoni Exciting
Shane Watson of the Thunder. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

However, it is the thought of playing under MS Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings which excites Watson.

It is going to be a real honour to play for such a great franchise with the history that the Chennai Super Kings have, and the thought of playing under the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni excites me a lot,” said Shane Watson according to CSK’s official website.

Not to forget, Rajasthan Royals and CSK were the finalists of the first ever IPL which the former won. Looking back at the archives, Watson’s 2008 stint in the IPL, revived his international career, representing the Kangaroos for a number of years since then.

Therefore, Royals will always hold a special place for Watson, as he has been an integral part of their campaign until their relegation.

“It is going to be a little strange initially as CSK were one of Rajasthan’s big rivals which started way back in the first year of the IPL. But it won’t take that long to subside,” mentioned Shane Watson.

IPL 2018: Shane Watson Finds the Idea of Playing Under MS Dhoni Exciting
Shane Watson of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (Credits: Espncricinfo)

The quintessential all-rounder who retired with the number one T20I ranking claims there are no signs of rust in his game yet.

I still absolutely love playing the game which is an easy motivation in itself. I still love the thrill of the unknown of every game and I am extremely competitive and so I have no problem with motivation at all for each game,” says the Queenslander.

Also Read: Ravindra Jadeja Focusing on Batting to Revive Limited-Overs Career

Read More  Sameer Rizvi discloses sacrificing this thing after joining CSK, all for MS Dhoni

On playing with Raina and Jadeja

The 36-year old is also excited about the prospect of working with the likes of Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. CSK retained the two before the auctions.

“Any CSK squad with Dhoni, (Suresh) Raina and (Ravindra) Jadeja as a starting point is going to be incredibly good and is always going to compare really well to the previous years,” further augmented Shane Watson.

IPL 2018: Shane Watson Finds the Idea of Playing Under MS Dhoni Exciting
Credits: NDTV

CSK’s pick for the upcoming seasons of the league has been criticized due to the age factor. Having said that, one mustn’t underestimate the choices of Stephen Fleming, as more often than not they have proved to be Goldust.

“Watson is a proven performer on the T20 circuit. He is in good touch as well. He is someone who can bat at the top of the order, come in late in the innings and also bowl a few overs at the death,” said Fleming earlier.