A Warne-ing for all the teams

Genius cannot be explained and Shane Warne is no different. His bag of tricks has been puzzling for the opposition in the short history of the IPL. Prior to the crucial match against the Mumbai Indians, the newspaper reports were that Shane Warne was going to be out for at least a week with a hamstring injury. Unbelievably he had made himself available for the match and walked out for the toss. And not surprisingly turned out to be the difference between the Mumbai Indians and victory. It seems that if Shane Warne were to stand for an election from Rajasthan, there would be hardly any candidate wishing to stand against him. The Royals in the IPL has been the Shane Warne show. He should be declared the state icon of Rajasthan.

Way back in the early 2000’s Anil Kumble came out with a fractured jaw and bowled in a test against the West Indies. Shane Warne did an encore of that act tonight in a remarkable act of courage and brilliance. Playing with an injured hamstring, Warne single handedly scripted the story of the IPL so far. The passion with which he is leading this side cannot even be gauged. Even after more than 2 years of retirement, Warne is once again reviving classical leg spin bowling which had been dormant for some time. With Warne bowling to Sachin, the scene had rolled back to the time of one of the game’s greatest ever rivalries. It was pretty apparent that the winner between these two would determine the fate of their teams. As it turned out, Warne took Sachin’s wicket at a critical stage of the match and shifted the balance in his side’s favour.

But Warne in the IPL has not only been about bowling. It is through his leadership that he has made everyone realise what an astute man-manager he can be. With only 4 required of the last over, Warne inspired his team mates to fight till the last ball. And believe it or not the Mumbai batsmen managed to score 1 run and lost 3 wickets of 5 balls to hand the match to the Royals. This defeat would hurt Mumbai much as they have been the chokers of the tournament. Last year also, they failed to score 1 run against the King’s XI Punjab and lost out on a semi final spot. This year also they have lost two matches just out of sheer inability to handle pressure.

With all due respect to the great Sachin Tendulkar, this is a record which he would not be very proud of. His captaincy in this match was patchy. His decision to drop both Jayasuriya and himself down the order was not what the situation demanded. With two inexperienced players at the top, the Mumbai men made heavy weather of an easy target by batting poorly in the first ten overs. It was only because of some belligerent hitting by Abhishek Nayar that they were able to get near the target. But like so many matches before, they crumbled under pressure. The Royals seem to be one team that thrives on pressure. They have literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Knight Riders and now against the Mumbai Indians. You haven’t won till you have won- ask the Mumbai Indians’ players and you would know the importance of the above statement.

The body language of the Royals team suggests that Warne has rubbed some of his brilliance on to his teammates. The Royals even in their losses have always looked like a well knit team that revolves around its great leader. And yesterday the retired wizard of Oz has once again proved that cricket is still played in the mind. A fighting spirit that is every great sportsman’s forte is Shane Warne’s hallmark. All throughout his career Warne has turned matches on they head purely on his own ability. The World Cup semi-finals of 96 and 99 were won by Australia only because of Warne’s magical spells. The Rajasthan Royals are honoured to have someone like Warne leading them.

Most cricketers with an injured hamstring would prefer not to risk themselves even while playing for the country. But such commitment in club cricket deserves a standing ovation. It shows how much the team means to Warne. Also if you trust somebody, you get the results. The Royals are reaping the benefits and are once again looking every inch the champion team they are. A victory like this lifts the morale of the whole team. With a semi final spot looking very likely, the Royals have issued a strong Warne-ing to the other teams at the business end of the IPL.