Shane Watson says he could quit Test cricket after India axe

Watson was one of four Australian players axed for what captain Michael Clarke said was a breach of discipline.

James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson were the other three players who were told they would not be considered for selection for the must-win match in Mohali.

Coach Mickey Arthur initially claimed the decision to sanction the quartet had been made after they failed to submit a presentation on team strategy after the tourists lost the first two Tests of the four-match series.

However Clarke later confirmed that the punishment was “not just about one incident.”

Watson left the team hotel and flew home to be with his pregant wife.

Before he left India, all-rounder Watson told The Australian newspaper: “Any time you are suspended from a Test match, unless you have done something unbelievably wrong and obviously everyone knows what those rules are — I think it is very harsh.

“In the end I have got to live with it. That is the decision they have made and at this point in time I am at a stage where I have to weigh up my future with what I want to do with my cricket in general.

“I am going to spend the next few weeks with my family and weigh up my options as to exactly which direction I want to go or keep on.

“I am going to have to sit down and work that out with my family. There are a lot more important things in life. I do love playing cricket and that passion is still there and I feel I am in the prime years of my cricket career.”