Watson's starts simply not enough: Slater

Shane Watson's 100th innings at Test level, like so many he's played before, ended with a sense of opportunity lost.

For the 35th time in his career, Watson posted a score between 20 and 50, the kind of middling performance that isn't quite a failure, but isn't quite a cause for celebration either.

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Apart from being roughed up first ball by a nasty lifter from Varun Aaron – which hit the shoulder of the bat and floated over the cordon for four – Watson looked fluid early in his innings, hitting three more boundaries before he was dismissed just before the tea break.

The highlight was a beautifully timed cover-drive off the bowling of Umesh Yadav, one of the shots of the match, hit with such force that it didn't require the hulking allrounder to even attempt a run.

But having raced to 25 from 29 deliveries, Watson gifted his wicket to Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin when he advanced down the pitch and struck him firmly straight to deep mid-on.

"It was just a loss of concentration," former Test opener Michael Slater told cricket.com.au of Watson's dismissal.

"I don't know if he was trying to get it up over the top or whether he was trying to hit the gap.

"It was a bit of a nothing stroke, even though he hit it crisply. You've got to get it away from the fielders.

"He's going to be really disappointed with that.

"He's such a good striker of the ball that at times he can get a bit one-paced.

"And I thought what he was doing quite nicely today was working the singles.

"There was a bit of subtlety to his game, which I think he can keep introducing and it would make him a better player.

"That's a big miss, really, because he got himself going.

"He was 20-odd and he looked fantastic."

Getting to 20-odd, looking fantastic and getting out has been a common theme for Watson in a Test career that has now spanned 10 home summers.

The 33-year-old has passed 20 a total of 61 times, for four centuries, and 57 per cent of his scores have been between 20 and 99, a high ratio when compared to his contemporaries Michael Clarke (45 per cent), David Warner (44 per cent) and Steve Smith (37 per cent).

It's a statistic that indicates while Watson is good enough to get himself into his innings, regarded as the biggest test of any batsman, he can be guilty of momentary lapses in focus once he's set.

On this occasion, a long delay to check the condition of the ball may have led to him losing his concentration, and losing his wicket four balls later.

While it was a frustrating day with the bat, the allrounder gave a reminder of his worth to this Australian team with a polished performance in the field during the morning session.

With Mitchell Marsh unable to bowl due to a hamstring strain, Watson bowled 14.4 overs in the innings, the most he's sent down since July 2013.

He picked up the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, well caught by Steve Smith at second slip, and took a catch of his own in the cordon.

Slater has no doubt that both allrounders can continue to play in the same XI, but he says Watson needs a big score soon if he is to end the revolving door of Australia's first drop, which has seen 10 players hold the key position since Clarke's captaincy began in August 2011.

"He's a quality player, but I think he's got to show at No.3 that he can get that big score soon," Slater said.

"That's just a fact of life that when you're in this position – you've got to perform.

"You can't do it every time but you've got to be able to convert starts and at least start to trouble the scorers more often than not.

"I think he needs to do that soon to remind everyone of the quality player that he is.

"I don't think he's lost anything. He did bowl nicely, his catching was great and he has a good all-round ability.

"He's not getting any younger, but at the same time but I think he should be able to cement this No.3 position."