By Scott Heinrich BBC Sport

There is a lot more to do in life and I am looking forward to it Australia Test captain Steve Waugh Waugh's career in photos

It was inevitable Steve Waugh would walk away from international cricket on his own terms.

A ruthless cricketer with pride to match his ability, there was never a chance Waugh would wait to be dropped before bowing out, as his brother Mark did last year.

That simply would not do, and, ever the orchestrator, Waugh himself has set the scene for a swansong of massive proportions at his home ground in Sydney after the fourth Test against India.

But although India were always likely to be his last opponents, the only surprise is the timing of the Aussie Test skipper's retirement.

An upsurge in Waugh's form over the last year made the tour to India next year a real possibility for the 38-year-old, but he is now destined to be an onlooker when Australia try to right the wrongs of the series defeat in 2001.

Waugh constantly refers to victory in India as The Last Frontier for Australia, a blip on both his and Australia's otherwise stellar record.

So with Waugh seemingly in the form of his life, and with the real possibility of a profitable home series in the offing, is now the right time for him to hang up his ragged Baggy Green cap?

At the news conference announcing his retirement, Waugh said he had finally found the consistency he craved in the twilight of his career.

The New South Welshman admitted he was tempted to call it a day after making a ton against England at the SCG earlier this year, but that was a face-saving innings and not one to hang your career on.

It was good enough for David Boon, who with great relief exited on a high after arresting a diabolical run of form with a century against Sri Lanka at the MCG in 1996.

But not for Waugh, who is cut from different cloth to any other player in world cricket, and that includes his own team.

Emotions are sure to run high at the SCG after the fourth Test

Waugh, whose fitness is apparently at its best for some time, may feel a tinge of regret if he fills his boots this Australian summer.

But, victory in India aside, what more can Waugh possibly do for Australia? Or, more precisely, is it possible for them to become even better under his captaincy?

The answer is probably not, and Waugh may feel that. The Test side he fronts is the finished article.

Just as Australia's next evolutionary phase was destined for Waugh when Mark Taylor handed over the reins in 1999, the time is right for Ricky Ponting to steer the good ship Australia.

There is an outside chance selectors will want Ponting to take over as captain and the hugely experienced Waugh steps back to be a humble player.

But if cricket retains any sense of humanity, the most successful Test captain of all time will keep his job until his final game, even if the understudy is ready to go.

Waugh's obsession with India is by and large a personal one, and it is arguable what one man's contribution - even if it is Waugh - could make there next year.

Australia will still reek of Waugh when they venture to the subcontinent, and nobody will deny Waugh the sense of pride and involvement he will feel if they go home triumphant.