Shane Warne was considered as one of the best spinners of all-time but many have termed him as the ‘best captain Australia never had’. Warne never played T20I cricket as the fast-paced cricket format was still new during the ending stages of his international career. The legendary leg-spinner was controversial on and off-the-field but was considered as a match-winner not just because of his bowling but because of his shrewd tactics. Part of an Australian team that had several greats, Warne stood out. However, he had to prove himself on the T20 stage and he chose the perfect platform for it, or it will be better to say that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) did it for him.
1st pick in auction
With 14 seasons into IPL already, not many remember that Warne was the first player to be auctioned in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich league. The spin wizard’s services were roped in by RR for his base price of $450,000 (Rs 2 crore) which can be considered as a steal deal in hindsight compared to what he delivered despite big names going to other franchises. While Australia had great captains during their golden period, Warner got the opportunity to lead the team in ODIs on 11 occasions which includes 10 wins.
Not so strong on paper at first
At the end of the inaugural mega IPL auction, RR was labeled as the weakest team on paper. Many considered that they lacked the firepower in their batting despite the presence of Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Kamran Akmal and others. As the league progressed, it was established that RR had defined roles for their players whether it was a 19-year-old Ravindra Jadeja or an uncapped Siddharth Trivedi.
Absolute domination
As a result, RR topped the table with 11 wins from 14 games. They had three batters in the top 10 -- Shane Watson, Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan. In the bowling department, the top two wicket-takers in the list were from RR. Sohail Tanvir took 22 wickets whereas Warne bagged 19 wickets. In the fourth position was Watson with 17 wickets to his name.
While franchises were still figuring out T20 cricket, Warne’s tactics looked far ahead. Royals restricted teams for non-threatening totals and even managed to chase down 200-plus total against Deccan Chargers (DC).
Battle of shrewd captains
In the end, it was a battle between two most shrewd tacticians of the league. Royals went up against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final. While teams still preferred to bat first in T20 games especially in high-pressure finals, Warne chose to bowl first against a fiery CSK batting lineup. Warne remained wicketless but Royals managed to restrict the men in yellow for 163/4 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Chasing 164, despite Pathan’s half-century, Royals needed Warne’s help in death overs to get over the line. The then-38-year-old remained unbeaten for nine runs off 9 deliveries which included a timely boundary off South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini off the final ball of the penultimate over. Not considered as one of the swiftest runners on the pitch, Warne was quick to take a single off the final ball when Sohail Tanvir hit one towards wide on as Royals lifted the inaugural IPL trophy.
Team remembers
Since 2008, Royals are yet to repeat the heroics of Warne-led side. “No, it just can’t be…,” reacted Royals on their Twitter page. One of the star celebrity owners of IPL franchises in 2008, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty too shared old photos of the unapologetic legend remembering the glorious days. Jadeja to former South Africa captain Smith to Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Akmal paid their condolences and shared their emotions after learning about the shocking demise of the legend who led a bunch of underrated cricketers to title victory.
