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Shane Watson to lead Rajasthan Royals in IPL 7, Dravid to be mentor
Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals on Monday announced Shane Watson as the captain for the seventh edition of Indian Premier League. Watson has been with the Royals since the inaugural season in 2008 and contributed to the team at all levels. Rahul Dravid, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2013, will be involved in all aspects of cricket strategy - mentoring the team and guide youth and talent development initiatives for the franchise.
Watson's performance helped Rajasthan win the inaugural IPL in 2008, while playing under the inspiring leadership of Shane Warne. The young Australian displayed his all-round skills and match-winning performances in crucial ties, and eventually was adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament.
Dravid, the former captain of Rajasthan, said, "I would like to congratulate Shane Watson on his appointment as the captain of the Royals. He is not only one of the world's best allrounders, but a leader par excellence. Watson has been with the team since the first season and is familiar with the players and the staff. The Royals squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Watson's inspiring leadership."
The newly appointed captain, Watson said, "I am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals, an extraordinary team which has always given me amazing opportunities. Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid had a lot of faith in me while they were captains and gave me opportunities that helped improve my cricket. I hope to live up to the confidence shown in me by the franchise and give our fans an exciting season of cricket. I would like to thank our fans for showing trust in me through their votes on the digital medium. The Royals are one big family and I feel very privileged to be a part of such a special franchise."
"My aim will be to continue playing our best cricket and maintain the winning momentum. We all want to repeat the 2008 IPL success and last season, we were quite close to that. I am confident that we can do it again," Watson added.
For the IPL 7 season, Rajasthan retained their star performer Watson along with Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny and Sanju Samson.
