Warney!!

Well, this post was long overdue. A thank you note to Shane Warne!!

Sachin is the one whom I admire the most. Warne is just a notch down. Both have contrasting personalities. Sachin is an epitome of discipline whereas Shane has a playboy image. Shane has lived his life in his terms. Yeah, I accept that his personal life isn’t that great. But to live a life that has not been dictated by the norms of the society is by itself a great achievement. 9 out of 10 people live a life that the society wants them to live. Only a few dare. That’s one reason why Ashes 2005 will always be remembered. Though the Aussies lost the urn, in Warne they have found a man who overcame personal turmoil (his marriage was breaking at that time and he has just waved his kids and wife good bye) but gave his best in the field. I remember Michael Clarke saying how he used to cry about his personal life in the nights and when he enters the field he is totally a different personality.

His words to Kevin Pietersen were "do as I say, not as I do". He regrets that his attitude has cost him the captaincy of the national team and he knows what it is like to be the skipper for the best team in the world. I believe Genius always comes with a hint of madness. He probably won’t go as good role model for the kids but does it really matter? You have Sachin, Dravid, Steve Waugh and many others for that (No Offense meant). They are great characters and it must have been really hard for them to stay disciplined with all the adulation. But what makes Shane great is that he was clearly able to draw the line between his personal and professional life and he really was a hard nut to crack. He was always in the news. Gatting Ball, Telephone chat, Sachin nightmares, Injury, some girl from Europe, his marriage breaking, Ashes 2005, Ashes 2007… I might have missed a few things like getting hundred wickets every 1.5-2 years and his more than occasional gutsy batting.

Talent alone doesn’t get you 1000 international wickets. Warne had an immaculate mind to back his talent. I think he was good enough in sledging too, though Mark Taylor says “He’s not that good. He tends to just start with a four-letter word and then says a load of nonsense", I can recall a match where Sachin and Ganguly were batting and Ganguly was having a hard time at the crease. Our man goes to him and says “Hey!! They (the audience) have not come here to see you totter but to see him (pointing Sachin) hit a few shots”. Guess what? Saurav was stumped the next over while trying to hit Warne out of the stadium. Warne will be mostly remembered for his test figures but there are a lot of standout performances by him in the ODIs, especially in the world cups- 1996 Semifinal against WI, 1999 semifinal and final. As he admits his life was a soap opera and he says “Savour the moment. enjoy it while it lasts”. we knew that Warney!!