Mark, the younger (by a few minutes) of the twin Waugh brothers, was one of the world's most elegant and gifted strokemakers in the pre-T20 age. Having played 128 Tests and 244 ODIs during one of the golden phases of Australian cricket, he was a member of the 1999 World Cup winning team. In India on commentary work for the Legends League, Mark, 57, spoke to The Telegraph.

Excerpts...

Q: Does the Legends League have a place in cricket?

A: Good format and a nice concept. There are some tremendous players playing. Feels great to commentate and mix with the players. The quality of cricket is the most important thing and if there's quality, people will watch it. You probably need players who are just retired or those who are fit with good reflexes. There's definitely a place for it as long as the players are fit enough.

Q: Any reason why you didn't take up coaching after retirement?

A: I have been a commentator since I retired. So I have been happy to work that way... I was also a Cricket Australia national selector for four years. So I'm still involved with cricket but no coaching. Just the odd day here and there with coaching. I am with Fox Sports Australia and that's basically my involvement with cricket.

Q: With the advent of T20 cricket has the game been taken over by power-hitters?

A: Yeah, a little bit but there's still room for the elegant strokeplayer. Virat Kohli is an example of that, he's one of the all-time greats. You wouldn't say he is a power-hitter. He's still a very traditional and elegant player. I think T20 cricket has helped players develop different shots like the scoops and the reverse sweeps. But there's still room for both types of players — the very conventional ones and the power-hitters.

Q: Did Kohli's lean patch surprise you?

A: Look, Virat is a great player and the expectations are very high on him. If he doesn't make a whole lot of runs, people start to question his performance and his place in the team. But let's face it... There's an enormous amount of pressure on someone like Virat with people following every move he makes. It's impossible for any batsman to make runs every day and every innings. So you are going to have those periods when he will have a drop in form. So he is like everyone else in this regard. But I still think he is one of the best players in world cricket and will be pumped up to do well in this World Cup.

Q: Do you see Kohli doing well in Australia?

A: Yeah, I do. That hundred against Afghanistan, though not against the strongest bowling line-up, will still give him a lot of confidence going into the World Cup. Knowing him, he will be very well prepared and hungry to put in another superlative performance.

Q: Where would you place Kohli among the all-time greats?

A: Along with the best players. A great player in one era would be a great player in any era. It's unfair to compare them. I have played against Sachin Tendulkar and think he and Brian Lara were the two greatest in my era. I have great respect for them. Similarly, Sachin and Virat are top class... elite players.

Q: Have you been surprised by the popularity of T20 cricket?

A: I never played T20 cricket but I would have liked to. It was always going to be a good contest because it is entertaining and skilful. It doesn't take six or seven hours though the game is taking much longer than it should do at the moment. It appeals to the younger generation and these days people don't tend to devote several hours to a match. It suits people's lifestyle and it's great entertainment.

Q: Your favourites for the World Cup?

A: I think there are five/six teams which could potentially win the World Cup. Australia and India will be the favourites but Pakistan were a bit unlucky in the last World Cup. New Zealand are always hard to beat and South Africa have a formidable side. But if I have to pick two sides, I would say India and Pakistan have good all-round teams... good batters, including power-hitters, good pacers and spinners. But once again it's about winning the big moments in the games. Australia probably weren't the best side in the last World Cup but when they needed to do well they did and won the big moments.

Q: Will franchise leagues rule world cricket in the near future?

A: Looks so... Franchise leagues seem to pop up everywhere and it's going to make the schedule cramped for a lot of players. To be honest, I don't know where it's heading and where it's going to end. But somewhere there needs to be a balance and the administrators, players and the associations/organisers must work towards that. It can't be too heavy one way. It's tricky and I don't have an answer at this stage. The IPL is obviously the benchmark league around the world, the Big Bash is pretty good but you will always have other ones competing. What you don't want to do is dilute the quality of players coming through. So the scheduling is important and you don't want to take good players away from Test cricket either. It's the ultimate form of cricket. Somehow the right balance has to be worked out.

Q: Is it becoming tough for the players to play all formats?

A: It's tough to play all formats and you have got to pick and choose. You have to sometimes rest your best players like David Warner is doing for the series (against India). It's very hard to play all formats but some players will want to do it. Still, you will have to take some time off, otherwise physically and mentally you will not be able to give your best.

Q: Who are the top-3 batters at the moment?

A: Babar Azam, Kohli's still a tremendous player, Kane Williamson and then Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne... I'm forgetting a player or two there... A lot of good fast bowlers around at the moment. The batting I don't think is quite as strong as the fast bowling at the moment. The fast bowlers are really doing some damage around the world.

Q: Has Steve Smith been the most elegant Australian batter in recent times?

A: I wouldn't call Steve Smith elegant, he is more unconventional. He's got his own style and is a hard player to copy, he's unorthodox. Lots of movement at the crease but he's got great hand-eye coordination and can adjust to any conditions very well. He is averaging nearly 60 in Tests but will be a hard player for a youngster to copy... His footwork, backlift and all his idiosyncrasies are all his own...but it works well for him.

Q: You were one of Shane Warne's closest friends. Memories?

A: Shane was a great friend of mine. We played a lot of cricket together and also did commentary. It's very sad because none thought he would pass away at the age of 52. But you have got to honour his achievements. He was a lovely person off the field besides being a true cricketer. Yeah, I miss him always and that's very unfortunate.