Watson is expected to play a major role in Australia's World Cup campaign not only as an hard-hitting opener, but also as a disciplined seamer. -Photo by AFP

AHMEDABAD: Australian all-rounder Shane Watson said Saturday he had “big shoes to fill” but vowed to do his best to get his team off to flying starts in their quest for a fourth successive World Cup.

Watson, who opens the innings for the defending champions, excelled in the limited time he had at the crease at the 2007 World Cup, when big-hitting pair Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist opened the batting.

“It is a much bigger responsibility opening the innings and trying to lay a great platform for the team, like Hayden and Gilchrist did, especially in World Cups,” said Watson, who batted lower down the order in the Caribbean.

“They are big shoes to fill because they have always performed well.”

Watson, 29, emerged as the key opener after the retirements of Hayden and Gilchrist, hammering back-to-back centuries against England and New Zealand to help his side win the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa.

He was also in top form during Australia's recent one-day series win over England at home, scoring 306 runs with one hundred and two half-centuries.

Watson is expected to play a major role in Australia's World Cup campaign not only as an hard-hitting opener, but also as a disciplined seamer.

“I know it is a big responsibility. It is a great challenge,” said Watson, who has scored 3,353 runs with five centuries and taken 127 wickets in 123 one-day internationals.

“I now have a lot more role (playing a long innings and then coming to bowl perhaps 10 overs) within the team. It will be good to play that role for team.”

Watson said he was confident of delivering as an all-rounder, especially after having given a good account of himself against England.

“Even in the World Twenty20, I'd had an important role to play with the ball. I come behind bowlers who have a good bit of pace and my job is to keep the scoring rate down and pick up a few wickets as well,” he said.

“I definitely have more of a role within the team and during the last few months I have been in a good place as a bowler, especially in the one-day series against England and I hope to continue that.”

Australia lost both of their warm-up matches against India and South Africa but Watson said he was not fretting about those results.

“Hopefully, not too much should be read into them. They were practice matches and we were trying to find the right balance,” said Watson, who rated India, South Africa and Sri Lanka as the danger sides.

“Everyone is jumping out of their skins because it is not too often you get an opportunity to play in a World Cup. The team that deals with pressure better will be the winners,” he said.

Australia, who have not lost a match in the past two World Cups under Ricky Ponting, open their campaign against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on Monday. They have lost just one of their 27 one-dayers against the African side.