Veteran speedster Javagal Srinath says he is keen to go to Australia with the Indian team this year-end and will consider retiring if his injured knee prevents him from making the trip Down Under.
"If my knee is completely fit I want to go to Australia," Srinath told newspersons in Kolkata on Thursday.
Asked whether he would hang his boots if he has to forego the Aussie tour, Srinath replied: "That's very right. If I cannot go Down Under then I'm retiring. However, my availability for the tour depends on my knee."
He said his knee is improving, but "slowly".
"It has remarkably improved over the last couple of months. I'm planning to play a local game next week in Bangalore which will enable me and the doctors to assess the strength of my knee," India's most successful pace bowler in the post-Kapil Dev era said.
"Playing for the country is the greatest motivation for me and that's my motivation for the tour," he added.
On post-retirement plans, Srinath said, "It's a very big question. After playing top-flight cricket for 13 years it definitely will bring a void in life. I'll have to sit and think what I can do."
Srinath said the issue of getting a bowling coach for the national team could be discussed at various fora.
"If at all a bowling coach is taken it has to be somebody with an overall knowledge of the game."
Asked whether he would like to don the mantle of bowling coach after retiring from the game, he quipped, "This is something worthwhile considering."
