'He stirred up the Aussies in a big way. Steve Waugh wasn't that pleased': Shane Watson on former India pacer

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson enjoyed a long and memorable 14-year-career for Australia during which he became a two-time World Cup winner, played memorable knocks, broke partnerships and took breath-taking catches. Even after retiring from international cricket after the T20 World Cup in 2016, Watson continued with aplomb in the IPL, having one of his most memorable years at the age of 37, when in 2018, he amassed over 500 runs for Chennai Super Kings.

Post retirement from IPL, Watson served as an expert the last two years before joining the DC setup this year, and his contribution could be gauged by the fact that almost every player has spoken on Watson and his impact in some or the other capacity. He is part of an illustrious DC coaching set up that has his former Australia mate Ricky Ponting as coach and coaching legend Pravin Amre as his partner.

Another one of Watson's partners as assistant coach is Ajit Agarkar, whom the Aussie legend calls a wonderful bloke. Speaking of Agarkar, Watson's mind harked back to the year 1999, when India had toured Australia and Agarkar was one of India's leading pacers along with Javagal Srinath. It was Agarkar's only second Test series and in three matches, he picked up 11 wickets. While those may not be remarkable figures, Watson says Agarkar brought a lot more to the table.

"Ajit Agarkar is just an awesome guy. I have played a little bit against him, more so towards the back end of his career. Javagal Srinath bowled good pace but Ajit… I remember him coming into the Australia summer - I think it was 1999, Brett Lee's debut year - he came and bowled at great pace. He stirred up the Aussies a lot, in a big way. I remember him trying to bounce out Steve Waugh and Steve Waugh wasn't that pleased," Watson said on the Delhi Capitals podcast.

Watson says he is absolutely in awe of Agarkar the coach, highlighting for the former India all-rounder has a knack of understand the players and their mindset.

"But the knowledge that he has got… he's a really nice person and knows how to connect with people really well. Obviously, he's got great respect within the group as well for what he's achieved as a cricketer. But he is just a generally good person who cares for people so his ability to connect and talk about things and help people out is brilliant," Watson pointed out.