Shane Watson filled in as caretaker Test captain when Michael Clarke was injured last year, and would have no qualms doing so next month at the Gabba.

Watson led Australia in the final Test of their disastrous tour of India when Clarke was ruled out due to his chronic back problem.

The 33-year-old has since relinquished the vice-captaincy, but is part of the leadership debate following injuries to Clarke (hamstring) and vice-captain Brad Haddin (shoulder).

Both remain in doubt for the opening Test against India that starts in Brisbane on December 4.

Watson, speaking before the team’s tour of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, suggested it would be an honour to skipper the side if Clarke and Haddin were both unfit.

But the 33-year-old’s words came with a bag of caveats.

One, he is tipping Clarke to conquer his recurrent hamstring problems.

“I’ve talked to him about it. The diagnosis is, I think, better than what it was initially, which is a great thing,” Watson said on Tuesday.

“It’s all very positive.”

Two, Watson’s opinion is there’s a “few in front” of him to be given the post.

Three, the allrounder is more worried about reclaiming his spot in the XI after missing the recent UAE series due to injury.

“I just need to be scoring runs over the next couple of weeks to give myself the best opportunity to be able to do that,” Watson said, a day out from the third one-day clash with South Africa at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.

Clarke’s return date following a third hamstring setback since August remains unknown.

Cricket Australia’s high-performance manager Pat Howard floated surgery as an option, noting next year’s World Cup and Ashes series in England would be the priority.

“Everyone’s got their fingers crossed,” Watson said.

“Hopefully, over the next week or so, it’ll continue to improve really well and he’ll right for the first Test.”