Remembering Shane Warne: 5 cricketers he helped groom ft. Ravindra Jadeja
March 4, 2024, marks the second death anniversary of the legendary Shane Warne, who tragically died due to a heart attack, shaking the entire cricketing world. The Australian spinner was widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game, revolutionizing the art of leg spin, and being the role model for several aspiring cricketers.
Warne's career has been well-documented during his time as a cricketer as well as after his retirement. The spinner also prioritized mentoring emerging players towards the end of his playing career.
Warne could have offered a lot more to the cricketing world with his mere presence. Although he helped a lot of players in his role as a mentor and captain, a lot more could have benefitted under his tutelage, especially with leg spin being such a valuable commodity now.
On that note, let us take a look at five cricketers Shane Warne helped groom over the years.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja
'We identified him as a special talent straight away,' were Shane Warne's exact words regarding Ravindra Jadeja in an interview with the Guardian in 2009. The comments came well before the all-rounder had established himself as an all-format player for Team India.
Warne, who led and coached the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a dual role during the inaugural IPL season in 2008, trusted Jadeja by handing him 14 appearances following his breakthrough year as part of the U-19 World Cup winning team.
Warne had a huge part in Jadeja's rise, so much so that he even joked with the all-rounder by demanding a commission for his guidance during the formative stages of his career.
“I always joke with him (Jadeja) that he has become such a big cricketer now, I deserve some commission for all the initial work we put in," Warne said during his broadcast duties in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, where Jadeja went on to win the golden ball.
“When I first met him in 2008, he was already a legend and I couldn’t believe that I would be playing alongside a player of Shane Warne’s stature. We were just coming out of our U-19s and to share the dressing room with Warne was a huge thing for youngsters like us. He gave me a huge platform and post U-19, it was a direct entry into the IPL," Jadeja said after Warne's death in 2022.
#2 Kamran Khan
Left-arm seamer Kamran Khan worked closely with Warne in the second IPL season when he was just 18 years old. The former made an instant impact as well for the side.
Warne finalised the signing of the player after Rajasthan's director of coaching, Darren Berry witnessed him in action during a local tournament in Mumbai.
He, unfortunately, fizzled out in the years that followed, especially due to trouble with his bowling action, but never forgot Warne's contribution in the formative years of his career.
“I was completely shocked when I came to know about Warne sir’s death. He was very affectionate towards me and whatever I am today is due to his efforts and encouragement," Kamran told reporters.
“Warne sir liked my bowling and recommended my name for his IPL team. When my bowling action was under the lens in 2009, he called me to Australia and helped me out. Finally, I got a clean chit,” he added.
#3 Mitchell Swepson
A mere look at Mitchell Swepson's bowling action suggests how much he has been influenced by Warne. Although the two never quite shared a dressing room together or a professional player-coach relationship. Warne had imparted knowledge to the player, especially with high-quality leg spinners being a rare sight in Australia.
"Never got to properly thank this man for his influence on my cricket career. He has made me push myself day in and day out without ever knowing it. Truly the greatest cricketer I’ve ever seen play the game," Swepson wrote.
#4 Shreyas Gopal
The likes of Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia benefitted a lot as they had the greatest leg spinner overseeing their bowling. Warne returned to the RR setup in 2018 as a member of the coaching staff and played a huge role in honing the skills of the players in the squad with his mentorship, particularly the leg spinners as it was his area of expertise.
"We keep in touch with him [Warne] and there are loads of fine-tunings he has told me about so that I can come out as a better person and a better cricketer next year. There are a few things he has told me and I am hoping to work on it and hopefully, I can get anywhere close to what he did and said and be 15 or 20 per cent of the bowler Shane Warne was, I'd be happy at the end of my career," Shreyas Gopal said in an interview in 2019.
#5 Shoaib Bashir
As part of his mentorship role with Rajasthan Royals, Warne also worked with emerging players in RR's academies in the subcontinent as well as overseas. One such youngster who benefitted from legend's wisdom is England's latest spin sensation, Shoaib Bashir.
The youngster recently made his debut in the ongoing Test series between India and England. Bashir is already highly rated by the likes of Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, Graeme Swann and Michael Vaughan, with the latter even terming him as the 'next R Ashwin'.
"One of my highlights of training at the Royals Academy UK was meeting and talking to the great Shane Warne. I was lucky enough to bowl a few balls while he was watching and he gave me a few valuable tips!” Bashir had told reporters.
Has Shane Warne set such high standards that can never be scaled in modern day cricket? Let us know what you think.