Michael Clarke, driven by ambition, backed by skill, is a man of many accomplishments.Nicknamed 'pup', he made his international debut in 2003 and led Australia to Ashes (2013-14) and the 2015 World Cup victories, but his time as captain wasn't the most harmonious phase for Australian cricket.

The 35-year-old admits he's 'far from perfect,' but regret are not for him. His job is to win, not to make friends.

A year-and-a-half after retirement from international cricket, the former Australian batsmen has displayed a different kind of versatility. However, the role he enjoys most is that of dad. His daughter Kelsey Lee is a year old. Talk about his close friend and teammate, the late Phil Hughes, the boyish charm is replaced by a sombre look, the pain in the eyes revealing more than anything he expressed.

In India as part of the commentary team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy four-match Test series, Clarke, in a freewheeling interview, spoke about life as a captain, the loss of friend Phil Hughes and life beyond the boundary. Excerpts:

You've always spoken about your love for India, what's the special connect with the country?

India is such a great place to come back to. I've always enjoyed it. It feels no different from home to me. In fact, it feels like a bit of a second home because I've spent so much time here.

My batting coach, when I was younger was Neil D'Costa, an Indian, and from his family, I learnt about India. My first-class debut was against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground; my Test debut was against India; my highest international score too came against India. So, the country has been a consistent factor in my journey so far.

While you achieved great success in your career, do you feel you didn't quite have the acceptance from the public and teammates?

Aaaah... (exhales) When I first started playing for Australia, as a young man, I wanted everybody to like me. Then I worked out that it's not life. I realised it doesn't matter whether you're an international cricketer or not, some people like you and some don't. So once I accepted that, I felt lot more comfortable. I told myself, that I'm going to be the person I am. The person my parents have raised with values they instilled in me. All I could do was, my best. This I try and do every day in life, whether I'm playing cricket, or being father to our daughter or husband to my wife. I just try to do my best... But yeah, I'm long way from being perfect.

In that process, did you lose friends in the team?

As a leader you've got to make tough decisions. When you do that, the decision may help some people and not others maybe. As long as you're making that decision in the interest of the team, then people should respect that. Yes, sometimes as a leader you make some tough calls and people don't like the decisions and it might have cost me some friendships, but my job was not to make friends. My job was to get Australian cricket back to the world No.1 spot. Unfortunately, when I took over as the captain, we were fifth in the world and fortunately I was able to get us back to No. 1. If that has cost me some friends, I know I have done my job.

What prompted your decision to announce your retirement in 2015 during the Ashes?

When I felt I couldn't fight battles any longer, I retired. That's when I felt I could not keep doing it, for a number of reasons. I felt it was the right time to walk away -mentally, physically and emotionally . My body and mind told me, as a player, my time was up. It was time to walk away because it got to that stage, where I didn't want to continue doing what I was doing. I didn't want to get on the park every day.

How much did Phil Hughes death influence your decision?

After losing my close friend Phil, I didn't want to play cricket anymore. Before Phil passed away, I wanted to play the World Cup (2015) and the Ashes that year and then see what happens. Win or lose, it would've been my decision, when I retired. When Phil passed away, it made my decision for me. I didn't want to walk back to a cricket field after he passed away. My mental strength allowed me to get back on the field and play the World Cup and it allowed me to play the Ashes.

Did the battles with injury play a part in your retirement?

Through my career, I thought and believed injuries were a part of sport. You have injuries, but you have to have the mental strength to cope with it. You have to get up the next day and go through the pain. The process continues till you heal and another injury hits you. You get to a stage when you know you don't want to get up anymore. That's when you need to retire.

What was the day after retirement like?

I stayed in bed long and had lunch with my family who had joined me in London for my final match. Then I got on a plane and went on a holiday with my wife. It didn't feel like anything, I felt no emptiness.

How did fatherhood change your life?

I wish I had my girl 10 years earlier. She's a superstar. She has definitely softened me. I have always loved kids, my sister has two children and I have always been around them and enjoyed their company. If I had my daughter in my life earlier, I would have played my cricket differently. I think I would have been a lot less stressed about a lot of things.

You know, your child is 100% commitment. She is your priority, your life and everything that matters. I love being a father. My wife Kyly and I have been gifted with an amazing girl. Thanks to advances in technology, I get to see her every day, virtually. She is 15 months, growing up and starting to walk and turning out to be a troublemaker like her father. So, I hope her mother can discipline her and Kelsey takes after her mum and not her dad hopefully.

What prompted you to write your autobiography last year?

When I started writing it, my daughter was eight-months-old.I thought, if anything ever happened to me in the next few years, my daughter would have no idea who her father was. You know, she is so young, so I wanted to create something, if I was no longer here, she could read it and say, `I know who my father is and what his beliefs are.' I really wrote that for my daughter.

What's life beyond cricket for Michael Clarke?

I like being a father. I want to be the best dad as I can. Hopefully, a good husband as well. I have a lot of goals in business that I want to chase. I'm very fortunate to have achieved what I did in the game of cricket. Now, I want to achieve similar success if not more, in business.

Have you given coaching a thought?

I don't know. I coached the Australian Prime Minister's XI recently and I really enjoyed working with the young players. I probably haven't given it enough thought. Probably, if I could help, then I would definitely coach a team. I have no interest in coaching an international team because it entails a lot of travel and I don't want to do that right now. Having said that, if it is the Indian Premier League or something like that, I would definitely consider. I wouldn't coach for the sake of coaching, but if I can help players and play a part in their success, then I would.