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Cricket
By Our Sports Reporter
Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, in discussion with S. Ramesh, Sriram and Venkatesh Prasad at the MRF Foundation cricket camp in Chennai on Friday.
For, here is the Australian Test captain, who has seen it all and done it all in an international career spanning well over 15 years, but fighting it out to return to the National limited-overs side from which he was so mercilessly dropped. A member of two triumphant World Cup teams (1987 & 1999), the latter he led so dominantly, his never-say-die spirit was apparent when he told Ramesh, the former Test opener, that it is all in the mind and cited the example of Matthew Hayden, the Australian opener. In a chat with the media later, Dennis Lillee, the pace legend, called Waugh the greatest captain Australia has seen. Asked whether he would pick Waugh in the limited-overs side were he is a selector, Lillee said, ``If he is ready, which he is, fit and scoring as many runs as the other players vying for the same slot, I'd pick Waugh. Look, there is no substitute for experience.'' So how is Waugh reconciling to the fact that he has been dropped from the one-day side? ``Well, to begin with, I wouldn't have been here had I been there. I cannot do anything about things that are not in my control. It is the selection committee's decision. My philosophy is simple: give 100 per cent in my comeback bid. But then, there are no guarantees in sport, as in life.'' The selectors had held the age factor against him. And this is what Waugh has to say about it. ``Age is irrelevant. It is about how competitive one is, it is about desire. Alec Stewart is 39, and he doing well for England.'' The topic moved to whether, if picked in the limited-overs side, he'd be comfortable playing under Ricky Ponting. ``I'm realistic. I'll be happy playing one-day cricket. (In a lighter vein he said it would be nice to see someone else sweat and make the tough captaincy decisions). Talking about Indian cricket, Waugh said Sourav Ganguly was turning out to be a good, strong leader. ``He led well against us and India is doing well on away tours now.'' The topic veered to coaching and Waugh said the facilities at the MRF Foundation were good. ``Cricket is about opportunities and making the best of them. There again, you can only lead a player to a certain point, thereafter he has to back himself.'' He said coaching and the process of talent spotting were different in Australia where a player gets recognised faster and no one slips through the net. His opinion on the Australian Cricket Academy? ``It is more of a finishing school where the mental aspect of the game is taught to the wards. In the end analysis it is the little things that count.'' Terming Eden Gardens as the Lord's of the sub-continent, Waugh said, ``One gets a buzz out of playing there. And with more than 85,000 spectators out there, it brings the best out of one.'' It is well known that Waugh has a special bonding with Kolkata where he is involved with Udyan. He is to shortly help them with a new project. ``Udyan changed my life in some ways. It's a nice feeling to help those without opportunities. It has all been an amazing experience. Kolkata was where I also met Mother Theresa. And that is one of the greatest experiences of my life.'' Waugh is scheduled to leave for Australia on Saturday night.
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