Watson returns to lead allrounder role

Darren Lehmann says Shane Watson's body will be able to handle the workload that will come with being Australia's sole allrounder for the Boxing Day Test.

Watson sent down 27.4 overs in the second Commonwealth Bank Test against India, the most he's bowled in a Test match for over two years.

The increased demand was due in a large part to the right hamstring strain suffered by Mitchell Marsh on the opening day, which has ruled him out of the third match of the series, starting on Friday.

Marsh is yet to be declared fit for the fourth Test in Sydney, which begins on January 6, but Watson's performance with the ball at the Gabba convinced selectors they didn't need a like-for-like replacement and drafted in Queensland batsman Joe Burns instead of another allrounder.

Quick Single: Bolter Burns into Boxing Day squad

Watson bowled without luck in Brisbane and finished with just one wicket, that of Rohit Sharma in the first innings.

The 33-year-old could have easily had more, and was particularly aggrieved not to add to his wicket tally during a probing spell late on the third day.

Bowling from the Stanley St End, Watson beat the bat several times in a five-over burst that leaked just six runs, four of which came via an edged drive through the cordon by Shikhar Dhawan.

The right-armer has regularly been let down by his body during his career, but Lehmann has no doubt that Watson can cope with the workload of back-to-back Tests.

"He's really confident in his body. We need him to make some runs, but bowling should be no dramas," Lehmann said on Sunday.

"He can do that allrounder job for us so that's why we went with a batter."

The dominance of Australia's bowlers since the start of the 2013-14 Ashes – apart from the 2-0 loss to Pakistan this year that Watson missed due to injury – has allowed the allrounder to take a back seat with the ball.

He was only required to bowl a total of 47.4 overs in five Ashes Tests last summer, 17 of which were maidens, as the touring batsmen repeatedly crumbled in the face of Australia's pace attack.

That series was in sharp contrast to the 2013 Ashes in England, where Watson sent down 85.3 overs as Australia's bowlers toiled hard on slow English surfaces.

He took two wickets for the series, but his tally of 38 maidens – 11 of which came from 15 overs in the second innings at Trent Bridge – proved the right-armer has both the stamina and ability to bowl the tight and unrelenting spells that restrict the batting side and allow the frontline bowlers to rest.

Watson's deployment as a containing fifth bowler in recent years has contributed to his drop-off in wicket-taking; he hasn't taken multiple wickets in an innings in over three years, when he claimed 5-17 against South Africa in Cape Town, a performance that was overshadowed when Australia were dismissed for 47 later that day.

He repeated the containing role perfectly in Brisbane this week, bowling six maidens in each innings, and conceding just seven boundaries.

His contribution was vital, particularly on the first day when Australia's four other fast men left the field with varying ailments, most of which were caused by the draining Brisbane sun.

"I thought he was one of our best bowlers (at the Gabba)," Lehmann said.

"He didn't get the wickets he would have liked, but he did the job that we needed at the time.

"He had very good control and bowled a lot more overs than normal, which was great to see.

"So expect him to do the same in Melbourne."

A heavy bowling workload leading into a Boxing Day Test does not bode well for Watson; he broke down with a calf injury just three overs into his spell in the MCG Test against Sri Lanka two summers ago. 

He bravely batted with the injury, posting 83 as Australia won by an innings and 201 runs, but was ruled out of the third Test at the SCG.

The Boxing Day match came less than a week after the first Test in Hobart, in which Watson bowled a career-high 47.4 overs, including 18 on the final day, after Ben Hilfenhaus had broken down with a side injury.