Ricky Ponting - the entertainer

How was your relationship with Steve Waugh when there were calls for him to step down as Test captain to make way for you?
I didn't really look at it that way and I don't think Stephen really did either. There was never any pressure on us, we were both pretty professional about the whole thing. I didn't know I was going to be Test captain either - it clearly could have gone a number of ways. Having two captains hasn't been unusual for the team anyway. We've had it in previous years so we all knew how to handle it and handle it well.

But your rise to the captaincy has not been without incident, particularly of the disciplinary kind ...
Look, I've had a few things that happened over time that have probably changed me as a person. Everyone has those sort of learning curves, I guess mine were made just a little bit more public than most! Things happen for a reason I guess, maybe if those things hadn't happened to me then I wouldn't be where I am now. I matured a lot and became a better person.

How do you think Australia have done under your captaincy?
It's gone well. One thing I said when I took over the job was that I wanted everyone, especially people on the outside watching the game, not to notice any difference in our team, not to know there's been a different captain out there. I wanted there to be a really smooth transition. I watched how Steve and Mark Taylor before him had started. I still think we can improve and we'll certainly be giving it every shot to ensure we do that ... even in the way people perceive us on the field.

Australia haven't won a series in India since 1969-70. Are you confident you can achieve what Steve Waugh never managed?
We've learnt a lot about playing in the subcontinent, probably going back to the last series we had against India in India. It was a great series, one of the best series I've ever played in. Since then we've been to Sri Lanka and won 3-0 there - something we've never done before.

Will there be added pressure on the team because you lost that 2000-01 series against India?
This India series could be one of the biggest Test series ever played. India have done well of late and, at the moment, you'd argue they're the second best team in the world, so that becomes a good challenge for us. I'm sure the build-up will be huge. It was big enough in Australia last year even then and we were probably expected to beat them pretty easily, so the build-up to this one will be massive.

What shape do you think England will be in for the 2005 Ashes?
I think they're going particularly well at the moment. But saying that they've done that previously before other Ashes tours and just haven't produced their best cricket against us. Steve Harmison's had a fantastic year and Graham Thorpe is back and batting well. Andrew Strauss looks like a good player and Andrew Flintoff's done a good job in both forms of the game. It just depends on who you're playing at the time and how the teams are going.

Do you think the added pressures of captaincy risk affecting your batting form?
I just don't see how the pressures of captaincy can affect your batting. You're not thinking about captaincy when you're out there batting, you're thinking about batting, watching the ball and playing well. The only way I think it could have an effect is if it's affecting the way you prepare for a game and if you're worrying too much about the media, or what the other players are doing, leading into a Test match. We think of ourselves as a group of captains anyway and that's the way we operate.

With players like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath at the last stage of their international careers, is there finally a weakness in the Australian team?
The Australian selectors have to take a lot of credit for what we've done over the last couple of years. They've made a lot of those big decisions with Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor and David Boon, which has ensured we've had young players coming into the side, so that when we've got a big series they've got a bit of experience. The last thing we want is to have McGrath, Warne, Lehmann and Hayden all going out of the side at one time and leaving a big hole there. So I'm sure the selectors will make sure that players are being introduced gradually.

What would you like to be remembered for when you hang up your boots?
I don't care how many runs I score, it's more how I played the game. I like the way the entire Australian team plays the game. I guess I'd like to be remembered as a bit of an entertainer, I mean that's what we're out there for, to entertain the crowds. Stats and records don't mean anything to me at all. I've said that all along. I wouldn't have a clue now how many Test runs I've scored, within 500 runs, it just isn't something that motivates me.