Sydney: Steve Waugh, who enjoys the status of an icon, spoke to The Telegraph at the SCG Trustees enclosure on Friday afternoon.
The following are excerpts
On Sachin Tendulkar again falling short of a hundred...
Look, that 100th International hundred will come... It’s a matter of time... I know all of India has been waiting, I realise 1.2 billion people have been waiting... Sachin’s been batting very well in this series... Tight in defence and good in his shot selection.
The fact that Sachin’s just one short of 100 hundreds in Tests and ODIs...
When he does get that hundred, it will be an incredible achievement, second only to (Sir Donald) Bradman’s Test average of 99.94.
Sachin being in his 23rd year of international cricket...
He’s looked after himself well... He’s been selective in the matches he’s played (in recent years) and hardly ever bowls now... Of course, Sachin loves playing Test cricket... The hunger is still there... Huge hunger I’d say, both for the game and for runs.
Whether it had been tough for him to call it a day, at the SCG, eight years ago...
It wasn’t... Mentally and emotionally, I’d been ready... At some point, you’ve got to move on and I’d come to realise that my time was up. It was a gradual process, with there being days when the mind said to give it up and, on other days, to keep going a bit more.
Thoughts on Michael Clarke declaring Australia’s first innings at the SCG with his own score on 329...
Clarke could’ve gone for a few records, but more than the runs, he must have decided to declare after three hours on Day III... He had options, but chose the one he did. He could’ve been ultra-aggressive and declared earlier... Clarke did the right thing... There are a lot of opinions on when he should have declared, but in his mind, that had been the right time.
The approach of a captain...
Must always be to see how best the team can win.
Clarke’s 329 not out...
An amazing innings... Great concentration, great shot selection, great timing... Initially (on Day I) he did play and miss, but was amazing after that. He hardly played a rash shot and it looked as if he’d never get out!
Whether Clarke had been getting enough respect as captain...
He’s certainly got it now, after his triple at the SCG.
The number of marks he’d give Clarke as captain...
I wouldn’t get into that... He’s doing a good job.
If he’d expected Ricky Ponting to answer his critics so strongly...
He loves playing for Australia and takes immense pride in his performances... Like Sachin, Ricky just loves the game... He wanted to get on with the job and he’s done that... Didn’t surprise me.
India losing the second Test too...
Australia could make it 4-0 now... To stay in the series, India needed to at least draw at the SCG.
Little movement forward on his suggestion that players undergo lie-detector tests to enhance their credibility...
I’m not surprised that the Boards haven’t done anything, but Rahul Dravid and Ramiz Raja have welcomed it. Andrew Strauss as well, when the suggestion was made (last July).
Whether the next Waugh to play for Australia will be his son Austin, who is 11 now...
Austin’s got a passion, let’s see what happens... Sachin’s son (Arjun) is also playing... There’s too much pressure on the kids.
His next trip to Calcutta...
Definitely in the first half of this year.
Finally, if he supports the Labour Party of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who had lunch with him on Thursday...
(Smiles) I stay away from politics.
