Trounced by India in the first two Tests, the Australian team was preparing for the third match beginning on Thursday but the team management made the shocking announcement that Watson, two frontline pacemen James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja had been dropped from the team on disciplinary grounds.
The four players were dropped for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team's performance after the innings and 135 runs defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad.
Within hours, Watson, a frontline batsman and a good bowler who has failed during the tour so far, suddenly left for home, raising intense speculation of a revolt within the team.
Though Cricket Australia denied that Watson's departure was a result of the decision and that he was heading home to be with his pregnant wife Lee Furlong, the cricketer himself came out with a contradictory version.
Watson was about to tell coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke on Monday that he would have to miss the fourth Test in Delhi from March 22 to be home for the birth of his first child.
"I was about to communicate that to Mickey and the leadership group today but they obviously beat me to it by telling me that I was not selected for this Test match," Watson said.
The 31-year-old Watson said that he was "absolutely shattered" to be axed from the team and would weigh up his future in Test cricket.
"Any time you are suspended for a Test match unless you do something unbelievably wrong, and absolutely everyone knows what those rules are - I think it is very harsh," Watson said.
"I am at a stage where I am sort of weighing up my future and what I want to do with my cricket in general, to be honest," he said.
The sacking of the four players evoked sharp reactions from Australian greats like Shane Warne, Allan Border, Mark Waugh, Ian Chappell who ridiculed and strongly criticised the team management's decision.
"I'm surprised that's the penalty for something so mundane. It seems like it was on a schoolboy tour or something. It's an over the top reaction," Border said.
"I'm surprised that's the penalty for something so mundane. It seems like it was on a schoolboy tour or something. It's an over the top reaction," he said.
Mark Waugh said he had never heard of such a decision and Australian team management should have dealt the issue in a better way.
"I'm stunned. I've never heard of this sort of thing before at top level in any sport. When you are losing there are niggling things there but they're grown men, it's not school boy stuff. It's not under-6s, this is Test cricket...there would have been a better way," Waugh said.
"......the issue of 4 players being unavailable for Aust selection due to not delivering homework or a report to the coach, the answer is simple. The Capt runs the team & in conjunction with the selectors picks the team. The Capt should always have final say. Ridiculous what's happening," Warne said.
Earlier in the day, Arthur dropped a bombshell when he announced that the four players would not be considered for selection for the third Test.
"That's a line-in-the-sand moment. We have given these guys absolute clarity," Arthur said while making the announcement at a press conference here.
The stunning turn of events leaves Australia with just 13 players to choose from for the third Test.
"After Hyderabad the whole team was really hurting, we were discussing ways of getting back into the series," Arthur said.
"We were particularly aware of where we were as a team and how we were going to get back. I asked the players at the end of the game to give me an individual presentation.
"I wanted three points from each of them technically, mentally and team as to how we were going to get back over the next couple of games, how we were going to get ourselves back into the series," he added.
Arthur said the dropped players failed to meet the deadline set for making the presentation and it was important to maintain team discipline by punishing them.
"Unfortunately four players didn't comply with that. We pride ourselves on attitude. We have given the players a huge amount of latitude to get culture and attitude right," Arthur said.
"We believe that those behaviours with what we want to do with this team, how we want to take this team to be the best in the world, teams that are the best in the world have best attitudes and best behaviour patterns and a good, hard, ruthless culture.
"I believe those four players unfortunately did not meet my requirements so those four are not available for selection for this Test match," he added.
Arthur said to become world-beaters, the Aussies will have to fall in line when it comes to discipline.
"We have given this team a huge amount of time to buy in with what we want to do for the Australian cricket team. We have given a vision to these guys that is spelt out," Arthur said.
"We've given an expectation that is spelt out and although this incident might seem very small in isolation this is a line-in-the-sand moment for us as a unit in our quest to become the best in the world," he said.
Arthur said even skipper Michael Clarke feels that it was time to crack the whip in what has been a thoroughly disappointing series for the team from Down Under.
"I think the best thing that these three days off have given me is reflection time, to reflect on how well have I been going in my job, like I expect everyone else to do when you're 2-0 down in the series.
"Myself and Pup (Clarke) came to the conclusion that we have been so focused on winning cricket games that maybe some people have been cutting corners. Perhaps there have been some soft options taken. We decided that we needed to really get that in line," he said.
Arthur said it was a tough decision to drop Watson but he had to apply the axe irrespective of how big the player was.
"I have never ever doubted, not for one moment, the drive of Shane Watson. Not for one moment. Shane Watson prepares well. He's very professional and he goes about his business in a very professional way. I've not ever been in a position to doubt Shane Watson the person or Shane Watson the cricketer.
"It's extremely tough to sit here and make that decision. I wish it wasn't the vice-captain, I wish it wasn't Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson, they are leaders within the team and are very professional with the way they go about their business. But this was a moment where we had to make a statement irrespective of who the players were," Arthur said.
"Usman Khawaja is different. This will be the catalyst I think for Usman Khawaja to realise we're pretty serious in the Australian cricket team."
This is perhaps the first time in the history of the game that players have been dropped for not making a presentation and comes as a massive blow to the team, which is likely to be without wicket-keeper Matthew Wade due to injury.
Brad Haddin is being flown in as cover for Wade, who sprained his right ankle on Saturday while playing basketball.
Pattinson, who has been their in-form bowler, would be missed badly as the track in Mohali is expected to assist the seamers.
Khawaja was expected to replace Phil Hughes in the team but that has now been ruled out, providing the out-of-form number three batsman another opportunity to prove his worth.
The fourth players to be dropped, Mitchell Johnson, has not played a single match yet.
Available players: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon, Brad Haddin (wk).
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