Tugga - An inspiration to all

My friends despise the fact that I like the Aussies, and rate Tugga above Tendulkar. But to me cricket is not just a test of your skills or physical prowess - it goes beyond that, it tests your character and your mental toughness.....and this is where Tugga sets himself apart.

I distinctly remember the 1995 Frank - Worrel trophy in the carribean, where Waugh battled the likes of Walsh, Ambrose and Bishop on a monster of a pitch to score 200 not out. If you were to rate all the significant landmarks in Australian cricketing history over the last 10-15 years, this would feature at the top of the list. Steve Waugh never looked back since that day. First as a very important team member under Taylor's captaincy and then as a leader of the team that created a record of 16 consecutive victories only to be broken by an epic match at the "city of joy".

Another epic innings of Tugga worth mentioning is his chase against the Proteans at Edgbaston during the 1999 world cup. Coming at 48/3 and chasing 273 to reach the semis, Waugh cracked an unbeaten 120. I distincly remember my dad and brother chiding me that the Aussie dream was over as I kept sulking at one corner and desperately hoping my hero would deliver - an he did that in a wonderful style. I must also mention the 1999 test match in Windies where Lara scored a wonderful 154 not out to lead the Windies to a 1 wicket victory.(Wisden rated this as the test of the 20th century)

That result was probably the saddest moment for me as an Australian fan. At the end of the game, during the prize awarding ceremony, when the host asked Tugga whether he was dissapointed with the result...his reply was,

" Not at all. Infact I am really proud to have been part of this game. We might have lost today.....but in the end Cricket was winner".

Things like these, to me, define the spirit of the game.

Tugga was never a gifted or flambouyant batsmen. He would never be compared to Tendulkar or Lara or Richards. But he showed how battles could be won by determination and grit. I have seen his innings in Capetown and Durban, where Donald and Pollock hurled the leather at every part of his body, but still he would emerge victorious at the end of the day by drawing the match from the jaws of defeat. Sometimes in test match drawing the game is a victory in itself.

As Waugh bid a tearful adieu at SCG after scoring a century, the biggest grief wasnt amongst those present on the ground that day, it was shared by kids thousands of miles away at the "Udayan" - a leprosy house for kids established by Waugh in Bangalore.