New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar has paid wealthy tribute to the late Shane Warne, calling him a “fierce competitor”, against whom he always had to prepare differently as the Australian spin legend was good in playing mind games and gave nothing away with his body language.
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One of the all-time greats of the game, Warne died at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand on March 4.
“My first proper series against Shane Warne was in 1998 in India and everyone tagged that series as Tendulkar versus Shane Warne clash. And to remind people that it’s not Tendulkar versus Shane but it is India vs. Australia. But such was the following,” Tendulkar mentioned.
“That type of following goes to place you underneath strain. When you might be taking part in a world class bowler like him, you simply can’t flip up and hope that issues are going to be okay.
“So I needed to put together correctly, not simply out being there on the nets however if you’re sitting within the room, it’s a must to be a step forward of him, what he could be considering as a result of he was extraordinarily good in placing strain and taking part in thoughts video games and making an attempt to plan your dismissal.”
Tendulkar had many fierce battles with Warne and the 1998 series in India will remain a part of cricketing folklore.
“It didn’t matter, you looked at his body language. One didn’t know whether Warne had picked up four wickets, five wickets or he was bowling wicketless. Every delivery that he bowled, he was a fierce competitor.
“So even if you’re facing the second last over of the day, one had to keep their eyes open, because he was always up to something and trying to figure out how could he dismissed.”
Tendulkar mentioned “there have been variety of good spinners, however Shane was totally different”.
“One of those very few bowlers against whom you couldn’t hit the ball on the rise. He was someone if you did not get to the pitch of the ball, there was no way one was expected to go and drive on the rise,” he mentioned.
“That was his class the way in which he acquired the ball to float and that may solely occur when you have robust shoulders and also you’re giving it a rip, the ball drifts down the leg after which spinning away from you.
“I needed to additionally apply as a result of until then no person had bowled around the wicket within the tough, making an attempt to get you out. It was normally bowled to maintain issues underneath management. If the batter was scoring runs, to type of sluggish him down.
“But Shane was really trying to get the batter out, so one needed to put together the defensive and attacking choices.”
West Indies batting great Brain Lara also hailed Warne as the “most potent player” for Australia, who sealed his place “within the higher echelons of world cricket” with his performances in the Ashes series, which included the ball of the century that he bowled to England’s Mike Gatting in 1993.
“I grew up in a country where spin bowling dominated. The lower part of the Caribbean, Trinidad, Guyana, we played spin very well. And Warne posed a lot of trouble for a lot of other players. I found myself winning a lot of those battles, but he never gave up,” he mentioned.
“He all the time produced that miracle supply the one that you simply didn’t know was coming. So I all the time had my eyes open for Warne all through my profession. He was only a great bowler, bowling in an assault which had superior quick bowlers.”
Condoling his death, Lara said: “He was huge, such a legend, such a king, someone who I felt was, you know, gigantic when it comes in the world of sport, and it’s unfortunate what has happened, it’s very sad. He has a very young families, his parents still alive. It’s a weird feeling that he’s gone…”
Remembering his final assembly with Warne in 2021, Tendulkar mentioned: “After the final IPL, I went to spend a while in London the place we acquired in contact. There was by no means a boring second. He was filled with leisure, filled with jokes and you already know these battles these mini competitions.
“I realised that it was not nearly spin, the swing additionally got here naturally to him. He was an excellent golfer. I hate saying he was an excellent golfer as a result of it’s exhausting to just accept what has occurred and for us he’ll proceed to reside in our hearts.
“…He had this great perspective in the direction of life. Always constructive and all the time welcoming. It’s actually exhausting to just accept that he’s no extra amongst us…”
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