On the field or off it, India remains the favoured destination of Australian Test captain Steve Waugh. Test cricket’s most capped player wants to end his long and illustrious career in India and then carry on his association with the country through his “life-long pursuit” — Udayan, the home for children of leprosy patients in Kolkata which he promotes. “I would like to end my career in India,” Waugh said in an interview here. Australia is scheduled to tour India next year and Waugh has never hidden his ambition of winning a Test series in that country — something which an Australian side has never achieved since 1969. Steve Waugh-led world-beating Australian side had failed to conquer the “final frontier” in 2001 and he wants to take one last shot at fulfilling his long-cherished desire. But the thorough professional that he is, Waugh said right now he was concentrating all his energies on Australia’s upcoming assignment — a first-ever Test series against minnows Bangladesh at home. “The India series is still a long way off and I am focussing on Bangladesh at the moment,” he said. But one thing he has never lost sight of is his charity work in Kolkata. Ever since he visited Udayan in 1998 after yet another Test series defeat in India, Waugh has been passionately involved with the charity, visiting the home on a regular basis. He has even started a separate girls’ wing. “Udayan is my pursuit for life. It is not something you start and give up,” Waugh said. “I am committed to continue support to Udayan. We are soon going to start another school for 200 needy children not far from Udayan.” Waugh said raising funds was a difficult task, even for a celebrity like him, and “it would be good to get some funding from businesses in Australia and India”. Waugh also intends to make a film on Udayan, the script for which is more or less ready and a hunt for producer and director is on. Though there was speculation that Waugh could act in the movie, he was non-committal today. “I am a cricketer,” he said.
