Buchanan set for 2nd innings...

[DesiChap]

Buchanan set for 2nd innings... TIMES NEWS NETWORK / Chandresh Narayanan BRIDGETOWN, April 29: He was the man behind the Australian juggernaut. In many ways coach John Buchanan was the one who plotted the team's amazing run since he took charge in 1999. But he always preferred to stay in the background. Buchanan's tenure came to an end on Saturday as Australia won its fourth World Cup and second during his tenure. When all the celebrations are done and dusted, Buchanan will be the most sought-after man to coach any side in the world. But he is not ready yet. "I am pretty loyal to this team and I won't go to any other side," he said. In an exclusive interview with TOI , Buchanan reminisced about his stint and delved into the future. What does this win mean to you? It means a World Cup win, a couple of World Cup wins. But more than that it really brings home, I suppose, the amount of hard work a whole lot of people have put in to getting to this stage. That doesn't necessarily always guarantee you winning tournaments. But in this case we have been fortunate enough to do that. And so it really is very satisfying to get to this point. What has been special about this run of eight years? We've seen some very special players and people around the team. And I have a very special family that allows me to do what I do. You have worked with two captains: Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. How do you rate them? Look, I won't compare them. I think they are both similar in many ways and different in others. But both of them have been outstanding leaders of this Australian team. Both are reasons why this Australian team performs the way it does. Which was tougher: 2003 or 2007? In 2003 I was probably a bit naive. It was my first World Cup. And even though I had been with the team probably for four years by that stage, I think I approached that with some degree of naiveity. I approached this Cup with a lot more planning and foresight. So I probably found this one more difficult, because I was probably more aware of the potential hurdles that we would possibly encounter. What are these hurdles? The hurdles are sometimes the teams that you face, sometimes it's the wickets that you are about to play on. At other times it is just the travel and accommodation and moving from island to island and training venues. So there are a range or hurdles that came along the way. I think we overcame most of them. But it's been a longish tournament, it's one that I know we put a heck of a lot of time and energy into. And I know that's pretty hard. Any unfinished business with the team? (Smiles) No it's all finished. Looking back, when you took up the job in 1999 and now when you finish, have you achieved all the goals you set? Look I never had a great set of goals in terms of results or what we are going to achieve. I never really looked at that. I look at my job as an attempt to try to work with the players and the people around the team and try and improve them. If I am doing that then I am very happy. But obviously when you get some nice results along the way then it's a nice piece of icing on the cake. Has your role changed over these last eight years? I think it has, because the team's aged, it's got older. We have put a lot more structure around the side. So my role has been changing or evolving as it has gone along. Can this Australian team be beaten? Of course it can be. We are beaten ever so often. But it's an outstanding group of men exceptionally well-led by Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist. And it's got a depth of talent in there which will ensure that its performances over a period of time will continue to be very consistent. What does the future hold for you? I am hoping to move into a different career. I want to move into the corporate world. I've coached with the captain of a cricket team, which makes me part of the sporting industry. I would like to move into coaching with other captains in other industries in the corporate world. I also want to do some mental coaching in sport. Will we see you in India? I hope so. You have got plenty of offers lined up for me. I am ready to come. Maybe as a coach? If I come to India as a coach, it would be for mental coaching with other coaches. I may look to establish coaching academies or coaching systems, but certainly won't coach the national team. Finally, did you shed a tear or two when it all came to an end? A little bit. I thought I would be a lot more emotional. But I think that will come later.