Shane Watson’s Test debut as captain was as dramatic as the previous week. After missing the third Test in Mohali due to suspension and the birth of his son, Watson took over Australia’s reins in Delhi from an injured Michael Clarke.

Although he could not avoid a 0-4 whitewash at the hands of the spirited Indians, Australia’s stand-in captain managed to bring back his side’s aggressive streak which led to a better fightback. The temperatures were shattered and the battle between bat and ball was exciting. In the end, India emerged victorious in three days by six wickets while chasing 155 to win.

At the end of the fourth Test, when Watson addressed the media for the last time in the series, he spoke about his tactics as captain, his disappointment at being outplayed by India and his own poor innings with the bat.

Here is an excerpt from his press conference:

The last hour

I thought we were definitely in the game. We knew that if we got 150 and bowled well, we would give ourselves a very good chance of winning the Test match. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out for the ball. If we had got a few wickets earlier, the way it was played, it would have been a challenge for the new batsman coming in.

Pujara, the “thorn in the neck”

Cheteshwar Pujara batted very well throughout the series and did the same again in the second innings. By the time they got 20-15 to go, we felt like we had a chance if we threw it away. The wicket was doing a hell of a lot – some balls were staying very low and some were taking off. So we knew we could roll. But unfortunately, Pujara didn’t give us the chance to give India that big blow. This series was my first time seeing him live and he was incredibly impressive throughout the entire series. He has the game under control and the ability to focus for long hours. He was certainly the most impressive performer for India and a big thorn in the side.

The 0-4 shot

We are extremely disappointed. We came here with high hopes, but in the end 4-0 was definitely what we deserved. India has completely surpassed us. We didn’t play to our best potential. We have some young people who are still learning. It was a big learning curve for everyone to see how the wickets were played and how to face quality spinners here. I learned a lot from this series. We have to improve very quickly.

Soul searching

I’m one of the seniors on the team and I haven’t scored nearly as many runs as I would have liked. I knew how important it was for me to score for the team with youngsters learning around me. That, for me personally, was hugely disappointing, knowing that I played a lot of cricket here and unfortunately I didn’t get the points, especially when the team needed it the most.

First order failure

We, as top batsmen, were doing our best. If you see some of the layoffs, you’ll probably realize it was hard to beat there. Sometimes a ball has your name on it and sometimes – like I did today – you just play a bad shot. All four of our top batsmen were let down. We all need to score points if we want to be considered in the top 6 and play consistently. We failed to do that in that series, especially in the first innings when the conditions are best for batting. I put my hand up first because I think as a senior batsman and leader I should set an example alongside Michael (Clarke). There is no doubt that Michael continues to be an amazing contributor and we must all strive for what Michael has been able to achieve as a batsman.

Good Australian aggression

I know that whenever the Australian cricket team played their best cricket, we were aggressive, showed great intent, went to every ball in the contest and made the opposition work for every run and wicket. On Day 2 of this Test we really came together as a group, we knew there was a line and we decided not to cross that but still be part of the contest every ball. That’s what I asked the team as captain and the boys delivered that throughout the Test match. Even though the result wasn’t right for us, we had a lot of fun out there and that’s also a big part of the game.

Captain’s taste

I absolutely loved it to be honest. Of course I’ll give it back because Michael is the man. But it was an absolute pleasure to be able to captain my country and I had a great time, even if I couldn’t contribute to the run-scoring. Everything I asked of the team, they gave it their all and that’s all you can ask for.

Consequence of his suspension

It (his relationship with Clarke and coach Mickey Arthur) got a bit awkward for a day, but after that things were really good. Michael and the management group had to make a decision and obviously at the time I wasn’t very happy about it. But we all sat down, had a great chat and moved on. I am very excited about the future ahead. It was a shot in the arm for us, the ‘Mohali Four’ as they called us a few days ago. After returning from home, it’s great to see the team coming together.