Indian bowling doesnt justify top ranking: Waugh

While many would credit former captain Steve Waugh for making Australia a world-beating side,the man himself credits a little-known match...

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While many would credit former captain Steve Waugh for making Australia a world-beating side,the man himself credits a little-known match in the 1998 Commonwealth Games the only time cricket was included in the multi-discipline event for the turnaround.

Australia had made it to the finals back then,where they lost to South Africa. During that game,we did not prepare hard enough. We lost to South Africa and won the silver medal. Although winning that silver is still one of my proudest moments,we had lost a gold medal which we should have won, Waugh told The Indian Express. That was very painful. After that loss,the team made a pact that we would never lose again for lack of effort. I believe that that defeat was the catalyst for our teams success in the future, he added.

Waugh said he continues to be passionate about the CWG and remains hopeful that cricket would be reintroduced. When asked about his role in the forthcoming games in October,Waugh said he had,in fact,been approached to be a part of Australias Commonwealth Games squad in a motivational role and wanted to be a part of the Games but other work commitments prevented him from doing so.

Waugh,however,said that the era of Australian dominance in cricket across all three formats Tests,ODIs and T20s was over. He said while the Aussies were still the team to beat in the limited overs format,there were 4-5 teams who are equally good in Test cricket. However,Waugh was not convinced about Indias merits of figuring in that group. Realistically,with their current bowling attack,they do not seem like the World No1 side,although that is what the rankings say.

But he admitted it was unfair to judge the Indian bowling on the basis of their performance in Colombo,a wicket he termed unfair to bowlers.

However,he praised the Pakistani bowling in the Leeds Test,which Pakistan had won,singling out Mohammad Aamer as the superstar of the future.

The 45-year-old Waugh denied that he would be coaching an IPL team next season,saying although he had been approached by a few franchises,the job entailed a commitment he was unwilling to make. The only cricket I play now is in the backyard with my son, he signed off.