Australia all-rounder Shane Watson took a blow to the head during training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) yesterday and is said to be “a bit shaken, but ok.”

The 33-year-old was hit on the helmet by a James Pattinson delivery in the nets session as Australia prepared for the Boxing Day Test against India, while Mitchell Starc also suffered a nasty blow while batting at the MCG.

Pattinson’s short ball floored Watson landing on his backside before slowly removing his helmet and walking out of the nets. Following the incident the New South Wales (NSW) fast-medium bowler was said to be visibly shaken before being assessed by team doctor Peter Brukner.

A Cricket Australia spokesperson said the dazed Watson was “shaken but otherwise OK” while vice-captain Brad Haddin later confirmed his teammate had escaped unscathed.

He said: “I had a chat to him — he’s a bit shaken, but he’s OK.

“It’s just getting hit in the head — he’s just a bit shaken.”

In light of Phillip Hughes’s untimely death last month, Watson’s knock underlined the heightened emotional reactions to batsmen being hit in the head or helmet at this time.

Watson was playing for NSW on November 25 when Hughes was struck by the ball that killed him and he spoke earlier this month about the difficulties he faced in preparing mentally for the Test series against India.

He said: “It’s been the most challenging, mentally, couple of days I’ve had to go through in my career. 

“Trying to process everything that happened, especially being there.”