Waugh admits to 'crossing the line'

Steve Waugh has conceded there were times his Australian team "crossed the line" when it came to sportsmanship and sledging, but insisted many Indian teams he played against were equally aggressive verbally.

Waugh captain Australia in Tests on 57 occasions between 1999 and 2004, winning 41 matches including a world record 16 in a row during a period of utter dominance for the men in Baggy Green.

However, their most famous defeat during his tenure came at the hands of India, who themselves boasted an exceptionally strong side and emerged 2-1 winners at home to Waugh's Australians in 2001.

Young off-spinner Harbhajan Singh emerged as a tormentor of Australia during that epic series, taking 32 wickets in three Tests, and Waugh says it was 'The Turbanator' who was most vocal among those he played against from the cricketing powerhouse.

"I've played against many Indian sides who had quite a number of players who didn't mind a bit of talk out in the middle," Waugh said at the 'Conclave 16' conference in India.

"Harbhajan Singh is one that springs to mind straight away – he was never shy in saying what he thought out in the field."

Waugh insisted that gamesmanship by Australians on the international stage was a natural by-product of the environment in which they've played cricket all their lives.

"Banter, sportsmanship, or gamesmanship – that's the way we're brought up in Australia," he continued.

"In the backyard, when I grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, there was four brothers playing and it was full on – it was like a serious Test match out the back and we got stuck into each other, there were plenty of things said between each other.

"That's the way we grew up playing our sport, so maybe at international level it can be perceived sometimes the wrong way.

"There were times, I guess, when we crossed over the line, (but) I hope that was very rare, because I like to think the Australian team played in a hard, but fair way, and after the game we were always friends with the other side and (shared) a drink."

Waugh added that the arrival of the Indian Premier League – introduced in 2008, four years after Waugh's international retirement – has allowed relationships to foster between international opponents who suddenly become domestic teammates.

"These days, I think the IPL has had a really positive relationship between players and teams," he said.

"They get to know each other, they become friends, and I think you've seen some of that animosity dissipate over the last couple of years when players actually know each other pretty well and they're good mates."