Ricky Ponting has backed Shane Watson to make his Test comeback during the upcoming series against India, and will be "surprised" if the allrounder doesn't play the opening Test in Bangalore, beginning on October 9.
Australia's 15-man squad will leave for India on Sunday and Andrew Symonds' omission from the touring party presents Watson the opportunity to play his first Test since November 2005. Ponting, however, said Watson, with his technically-correct batting and fast-bowling skills, might have secured a spot even if Symonds was in the squad.
"I think he might have played anyway, if Symonds was around, just for that flexibility and what his bowling can offer," Ponting told the Australian. "I would be surprised if he didn't play in the opening game. Him for Symonds is probably the absolutely likely swap at the moment."
Frequent injuries have curtailed Watson's career to three Tests so far and while he was recovering from a partially dislocated shoulder, sustained during his third Test -- against West Indies -- in 2005, Symonds established himself as the allrounder in the Australian set-up.
"He's [Watson] been pretty harshly viewed in recent years but you don't average almost 50 in first-class cricket, particularly batting at the Gabba, if you haven't got the right game," Ponting said. "He could get himself picked in the side as a batter alone, but what he can give us with the ball is a bonus."
Watson, along with Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson, will form Australia's fast-bowling attack and, while none of them have played a Test in India, Australia are likely to rely on pace to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz took 43 wickets among them during the 2004 tour, which was Australia's first series win in India for 35 years.
"The tactics last time [in 2004] worked very well for us," Ponting said. "We were able to strangle them. We were able to take their boundaries away and make it difficult for them. A lot of the time we bowled at their strengths with strong fields in those areas. We did things differently last time and we'll look at doing that again if conditions suit."
Australia had Shane Warne to rely on last time but their spin department on this tour comprises two uncapped players -- leg-spinner Bryce McGain and Jason Krejza, an offspinner who moved from New South Wales to Tasmania two season ago.
"He's [Krejza] always impressed me from the time I first saw him at the academy five or six years ago," Ponting said. "I've been talking about him quietly for a long time because, what I see with him is what a lot of other offspinners don't have: the ability to turn the ball really big. He puts more work on the ball than probably any offspinner I've seen.
"They [McGain and Krejza] are very different spinners but at the same time they could complement each other really well if we happen to play both in the same side."