Cricket is only one of many things on his mind now, says legendary captain Steve Waugh.
As a cricketer and one of the most successful captains of all-time, there were too many characteristics in Steve Waugh which made him an absolute legend of modern-day cricket. His never-say-die attitude, his doggedness and determination have been the stuff of cricketing legend. Waugh thrived on challenges and knew how to overcome them.
Now four years into his retirement from international cricket, Waugh is looking to overcome challenges through his charity work. He was in India recently as a brand ambassador for Navitas, an Australian-based education services provider. “This idea of supporting people throughout their lives is a really positive message and is something that I am very happy to be involved with,” says the 42-year-old Waugh. Navitas, along with the Steve Waugh Education Trust, is looking to support the education of underprivileged children.
Just like any other cricket fan, Waugh has been closely following his nation’s fortunes against India. He thinks that Australia should have won the first Test match at Bangalore. “But full credit to India for totally outplaying the Australians at Mohali.” Waugh likes the look of the Indian team and says that they are the favourites for the series at this point of time.
But he thinks that all the talk of Australia being dethroned as the number one team is a bit premature. “We have won the last 74 of 100 Test matches that we have played and it’s a bit early to write us off.” Waugh, who led Australia to numerous Test wins and created the record of 16 consecutive wins, feels that his successor Ricky Ponting has done a tremendous job.
Quiz him about whether the retirements of Justin Langer, Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne has raised doubts about the talent coming from Australia, and he says, “Any team would miss world-class names like those, but I am confident about the talent coming in.” There has been talk about spin being a weak point for Aussie but Waugh feels that it was always going be an extremely tough act to follow Shane Warne.
If Australia might lose their mantle of the number one team, then Waugh feels that India has a great chance of taking over. “It requires a lot of hard work and determination to be at the top of the charts,” says the man who knows what it takes to be on the top. Australia, India and South Africa are the top three teams at the moment, according to Waugh.
Talk to him about T-20 and IPL taking over the game of cricket, and Waugh says that he likes the look of it. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved and it certainly will raise cricket’s popularity the world over.” But Waugh says that he would be “extremely disappointed” if T-20 reigns supreme and gobbles up other formats of the game. “There is nothing more competitive than a hard-fought battle in Test cricket and hopefully that will remain the case.”
Does he miss cricket at all? “I have barely had the time to miss it, mate,” he replies. His charities take up a lot of his time and the rest he loves to spend with his three children.
Waugh, who has been doing his bit for charity since his playing days, has a special place for India in his heart. “It’s like a second home for me,” he adds. It was 22 years ago when Waugh first visited India, and he confesses that he wasn’t sure whether at first he loved it or hated it. “As soon as I got off the flight in Mumbai and was heading to the hotel in a cab, I encountered a beggar with a child and it was a totally new world for me coming from the suburbs of Sydney.”
His work with Kolkata-based NGO Udayan is already well documented. Waugh says that as a sportsman it’s important for him to use his global profile to help the poor and needy.
The recent cricketing battles between India and Australia have been more than a little ugly and controversial. At the end of our interaction I tell Waugh that he is probably still the best-loved Aussie (a rare specimen) in this country. “That certainly didn’t seem the case in my playing days,” he says, laughing off the praise. The like of Steve Waugh are hard to find, on the pitch or off.
