Virat Kohli says he would have loved to have Shane Warne in his team
What’s the story?
Virat Kohli has said that if he had the opportunity to pick one player from the past generation to have in his team and rub shoulders with, he would pick the former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne.
In case you didn’t know...
Warne holds second place in the list of the highest Test wicket-takers, behind Muttiah Muralitharan. But it’s not just in Test cricket that the Australian excelled; he boasts of an outstanding ODI record as well.
Warne scalped 293 wickets in 194 games at an average of just over 25. He was a part of the World Cup winning team of Australia in 1999.
The heart of the matter
Warne, who bid adieu to the game in 2007, was known as a very intelligent bowler. Although he had a wide array of skills which included the googly, the top spinner and the flipper, he also had a thinking head on his shoulders. That quality is what Kohli seems fascinated with.
“One guy that I would love to have from the past would be Shane Warne. I would have loved to watch him bowl if I was in the same team being on the field, just watching him bowl and what he did to the batsmen would have been amazing,” the Indian captain was quoted as saying.
Kohli's fondness for wrist spinners is no secret. After becoming the full time captain of the Indian ODI side, he made the big decision of forging India’s spin attack around two wrist spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.
That decision has helped India win many games overseas in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand over the last year and a half. So it’s not a surprise that the presence of the legendary Warne in his team appeals to him.
What’s next?
India’s two wrist spinners Chahal and Kuldeep are likely to play a key role for the men in blue in the upcoming World Cup 2019. If they can achieve half as much success as Warne did in the 1999 edition of the tournament, Kohli would be a very happy man.
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