One of Steve Waugh's fiercest rivals paid rich tribute to him a day after the Australian Test cricket captain announced his impending retirement.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who had repeated run-ins with Waugh during Australia's 2001 Test tour, said he had always been "a big fan" of the Australian skipper.

"He's a great player, he's changed Australian cricket with the way Australia has played over the last three, three-and-half years - a lot of credit goes to him," Ganguly said.

"I'm a big fan of his, I've always been, his attitude on the cricket field is amazing.

"People keep on writing him off and he keeps on coming back and scoring runs, which is fantastic."

Ganguly infuriated Waugh during the 2001 series, which India won 2-1, by making him wait on the ground before tosses.

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