"To share the dressing room with him was a big thing" - Ravindra Jadeja pays tribute to Shane Warne
Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has stated that sharing the dressing room with the legendary Shane Warne at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) was a "big thing" for him as a young cricketer.
Jadeja made his IPL debut under Warne in the inaugural season of the T20 league back in 2008. It was the Aussie great who gave the all-rounder his famous nickname “Rockstar”.
On Day 2 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, Jadeja made his former captain proud with a brilliant 175*. At the end of the day’s play, the 33-year-old paid tribute to Warne, who passed away on Friday of a suspected heart attack. The left-hander said:
“It was really shocking news. When I came to know about it yesterday, I was feeling very sad and I couldn't believe that it was true.”
Asked what kind of influence the late leg-spinner had on his career, Jadeja elaborated:
“When I met him in 2008, he was one of the biggest names in the game. But it seemed unreal that I was going to play with such a big legend. I had just come from the U19 level and to play with him and share the dressing room with him, it was a big thing. He gave me a very big platform because after U19 I directly got to play in the IPL. I was feeling really great.”
'Rockstar' @imjadeja 👏👏
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An emotional Jadeja added:
“But it is sad that there is no certainty about life. Anything can happen. It was a shocking feeling and my was reaction was like - how can this happen? May his soul rest in peace.”
Under Warne, RR went on to win the inaugural IPL in 2008 although they did not have too many big names. The Aussie legend won a lot of plaudits for his leadership.
“Feels like a personal loss” - Team India head coach Rahul Dravid on Shane Warne
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid, who fought many on-field battles with Warne, termed the Aussie’s sudden demise a "personal loss."
In a video posted on the BCCI’s Twitter handle, Dravid said:
"I had the privilege and honour to play against Shane Warne. More importantly the great privilege of getting to know him personally and playing with him and alongside him as a colleague, I think that will probably be one of the highlights of my cricketing career."
#TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid pays his tributes to Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne. https://t.co/ejIEooYLbF
Dravid added:
"Even if you didn't meet him very often, he would make it feel like this was personal. It really feels like a personal loss. It's something that really hurts; it's sad.”
Warne passed away in Thailand on Friday at the age of 52, leaving the cricketing fraternity in a state of shock.