Shane Warne: The genius who ‘turned’ spin bowling on its head

Shane Warne revitalised leg-spin bowling. Not just that, he could also draw in the crowds and keep them pinned to their seats. What he provided was a spectacle. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

There was always a buzz around the stadium when Shane Warne was at the top of his bowling mark. A unique sense of expectation. An aura fuelled by drama. It was similar to watching Lionel Messi prepare for a crucial freekick or Michael Jordan taking off for yet another dunk. Come to think of it, he wasn’t a fiery pace bowler or a six-hitting maniac. He was a spinner.

Yes, he was a spinner alright, but one who revolutionised the hard craft of leg-spin bowling. For anyone who didn’t know a thing about cricket, a few clips of Shane Warne could well be the advert that could get them hooked to the game.

He was the whole package, wasn’t he? Not only was he the greatest leg spinner ever, having taken 708 Test wickets for Australia and over 1,000 wickets overall, he could also draw crowds and keep them pinned to their seats. What he provided was a spectacle.

A huge bag of spin tricks, and then some

With him, every ball was an event. The game seemed to slow down when he had the ball and hardly anyone watched the batter at the other end. It was almost like a psychological examination in a theatre of guile and spin. If the batter missed a cut or got beaten outside the off-stump, he was made to feel incompetent every single time. ‘How did he even get here?’ Warne seemed to ask, the way he posed that quizzical look at the batter, after he played a false shot.

Of course, it wasn’t just psychological warfare. His supreme skills with the ball – which truly helped to revitalise spin bowling – often wove a web around the batter. He could spin the ball from outside leg to hit top of off-stump, or get people stumped with the revolutions making the ball dip in the air, or gleefully get them bowled around their legs. Outside of this, there would be the occasional flipper that zipped through the gates and the googly to left-handers. There was no skill that he didn’t possess as far as leg spin was concerned. He also had his own version of the slider.

If football had Maradona, cricket had Shane Warne

Warne, like many of the geniuses in history, had his distractions. The sex scandals (which eventually led to his divorce), the banned substance episode (he tested positive for a banned diuretic) and the bookie event (he was fined for allegedly tipping off an illegal bookmaker about pitch conditions) gave Warne’s life a different colour. But it seemed like the fans never took all that to heart. For them, it was all about seeing him in action on the cricket field, with the ball fizzing like a spitting cobra.

In that sense, he was very much like Diego Maradona, the Argentinian football legend, whom the fans adored in a similar fashion. The one-year ban he received after testing positive for the diuretic seemed to only stoke his hunger for wickets. When he came back to the circuit in 2005, he claimed 40 wickets during the Ashes series. Even when leg-spinning compatriot Stuart McGill started to threaten Warne’s position in the team, when he was going through all his off-field troubles, he was able to brush that challenge aside, thanks to his mental toughness. His spinning fingers never deserted him. His skill set was like a tap that he could turn on at will.

Captain of the ship that he never really captained

His deep understanding of the game helped him feel its nuances, predict the big moments and sense critical passages of play. These are traits that a good captain should have. But he had Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting to contend with for the leadership position. Batters are almost always favoured to become captains, and Warne could never captain Australia despite his sea of knowledge.

So, when the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Rajasthan Royals appointed him the skipper in 2008, he finally got the chance to show off his wares. By now, he had retired from international cricket but had lost none of his nous for the game. With Warne at the helm, the Royals won the inaugural edition of the IPL, upsetting much stronger teams that were in the fray. It all boiled down to Warne’s captaincy. The way he marshalled his troops in that tournament was a sight to behold. He boosted the confidence of juniors like Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan by backing them to give their best in sharply defined roles. He made international stars like Shane Watson perform like gladiators by giving them the freedom to express themselves without pressure. Warne himself bowled like the champion that he was. Anyone who witnessed his captaincy skills in that edition of the IPL, could immediately sense what Australia had lost out on.

Man born for the Big Stage

Warne had announced his arrival in England back in 1993 by delivering what was called the ‘Ball of the Century’. England’s Mike Gatting was bowled around his legs by a ball that spun viciously, in a manner that was never seen before or after. It was a ball that revived leg-spin, considered a dying art then.

A new cricketing superstar was born that day. In a game, where there are few superstars who lived king size (Viv Richards was another), Warne became an instant rockstar, with his ear stud, bleached hair, chains and zinc sunscreen. Cricket needed such a celebrity badly at that time. Probably even now.

In a game played by largely conservative players, who toe the line, play straight and keep their heads down, Warne was seen as a maverick. Once every decade, the game needs a player who can get the fans to queue up for reasons other than their amazing skills. Warne did that. Richards did that. Dennis Lillee did that too. Cricket needs more such incandescence, for it to expand beyond obvious territories.

You’ll be missed Shane Keith Warne. Rest well, champ.

Also read: How I faced an over from Shane Warne and survived: A fan looks back