Sydney, Dec 10 : Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, who opted out of the inaugural IPL ballot to shore up his position in the national team, will seek a contract with an Indian franchise for the next tournament which can only include Australian players if the rescheduled limited-overs tour of Pakistan is again put off for security reasons.

His manager, Sam Halvorsen, said the left-arm paceman was ready to add the extra demands of the rich Twenty20 league to his workload and would nominate for the February auction.

"He was just focused on trying to consolidate his place in the Australian team last year and devote the time to building strength and training, and trying to lock in his position long term," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Halvorsen, as saying.

"Physically, he has become a lot stronger. If they go to Pakistan they won't be playing anyway, but in the event that they don't ... it's an alternative he can handle," he added.

Thirteen months after his Test debut, Johnson has successfully reinvented himself as a destructive force with the old ball and challenged Brett Lee for the right to be considered the most potent member of the attack.

He said ahead of his first "home" Test at the WACA ground, starting against South Africa next Wednesday, that he finally felt at ease.

"I don't know if you can call me a senior player but I feel a lot more comfortable and definitely know my role in the team," he said during an impromptu appearance at WA training, having moved from Queensland to live with his Perth girlfriend, karate champion Jessica Bratich. (ANI)