Chennai is my second home: McGrath

He towers over us at 6 feet 6 inches. One of the greatest bowlers in the annals of cricket, it is difficult to regard Glenn McGrath as a ‘former’ player, so huge a presence was he on the field from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century — he has the highest number of wickets for an Australian paceman (563). He and Shane Warne helped give Australia an uncontested presence on the international circuit. 

But all that cricket talk aside, he is in Chennai now in quite a different capacity — as brand ambassador for Hardy Wines. Much mellowed in this new avatar, Glenn, who also helms the MRF Pace Foundation, says, “I spend quite a lot of time in Chennai. I should say, Chennai is my second home.” He visits the city for at least six weeks a year, and now wants to make it a point to sight-see. “I have always believed I am on a break when I am here, coaching the young prospects at the Pace Foundation,” he adds. Chennai offers him a break because once he is back in his home town, Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, he has a different, rather more structured routine. “I keep running around here and there doing things for my family. As I firmly believe in keeping myself fit, I hit the gym twice a day.”  

Glenn McGrath has also been trying his hand at wine making. “I am getting better at it,” he says, with charming self-deprecation, considering Australian wines have a huge international reputation. “Though I don’t think I will be a wine connoisseur, making it does give me a better idea about it,” he says.