Watson admits feeling ‘strange’ not to represent RR

"It's a little strange to be honest. My previous eight years have been with Rajasthan Royals. I've had a lot of fun there. But to come to a franchise of the quality of RCB is a privilege."

Published : Apr 11, 2016 13:35 IST , Bengaluru

Shane Watson: 'I'm just happy to fit in wherever required.'
Shane Watson: 'I'm just happy to fit in wherever required.'
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Shane Watson: 'I'm just happy to fit in wherever required.'

Shane Watson admitted it felt “a little strange” to play for an IPL side other than Rajasthan Royals but could not hide his excitement at the prospect of playing alongside some fine cricketers at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

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“It's a little strange to be honest,” he said here on Sunday. “My previous eight years have been with Rajasthan Royals (RR). I've had a lot of fun there. But to come to a franchise of the quality of RCB is a privilege. To play with Virat Kohli is a huge buzz for me because I've only played against him. I've always loved the way A.B. de Villiers plays. Chris Gayle and I have had our run-ins throughout our time, so to get to know him is exciting. To play with these guys now is a huge thrill. I really can't wait.”

'Happy to fit in'

Watson, who at Rs. 9.5 crore was the most expensive player at this year's auction, hoped his presence as an allrounder would add value to the side. “As an allrounder I give the team good options. That's the reason why I got an early opportunity playing one-day cricket for Australia. Bowling-wise, in T20 cricket, you can get exposed, you can go for a lot of runs. On the days it doesn't work out with the ball, you can try and score some runs to help contribute to the team,” he said.

The 34-year-old added that he was prepared to bat anywhere. “For Rajasthan, I opened for a period of time but I batted three and four as well. In the end, with Chris, Virat and AB here, I'm just happy to fit in wherever required.”

Watson was confident RCB had a squad capable of winning the IPL. “We've got good options both Indian and overseas,” he said. “With the firepower we've got, opposition teams are going to have to score a lot of runs against us to give themselves a chance.”

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