Warne’s death a “personal loss”, playing with him one of highlights of my career: Dravid

Warne, who redefined the art of spin bowling to become one of the greatest in international cricket, died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand on Friday at the age of 52, leaving the cricket fraternity shell-shocked.

“I had the privilege and honour to play against Shane Warne. More importantly the great privilege of getting to know him personally and playing with him and alongside him as a colleague, I think that will probably be one of the highlights of my cricketing career,” Dravid said in a video posted in the BCCI Twitter handle.

#TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid pays his tributes to Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne. pic.twitter.com/ejIEooYLbF

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022

“Even if you didn’t meet him very often, he would make it feel like this was personal. It really feels like a personal loss. It’s something that really hurts; it’s sad. As long as the game is being played, someone like Shane Warne and Rodney Marsh will always be remembered,” added the head coach.

Warne passed on a day when Australian cricket was mourning the death of wicket-keeping legend Rodney Marsh.

“Really sad day for the game of cricket. To lose two legends in two days, people who truly made the game what it is and truly loved the game, is indeed a deep loss. Our thoughts are with both the families, their friends and may their souls rest in peace.

“I didn’t know Rod that well, met him a few times. But grew up watching a lot of Rodney Marsh and hearing a lot about him,” said Dravid.

The former India captain had been team-mates with Warne for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2011 IPL after facing off against each other in international cricket.

“Just to get to know him personally a lot and spoken about him as a great cricketer and rightly so; we all know a lot about that.

“I think for me what will remain just is the memories of the friendship, of the times we spent together off the field and just the ability to connect. I think that was what was great about Shane Warne,” said the batting legend at the sidelines of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka.

An iconic name in international cricket, Warne, since making his debut in 1992, played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets with his leg-spin. In his 194 ODI appearances, Warne snared 293 scalps.

He immortalised himself with the ‘ball of the century’ in 1993 when as a 24-year-old, he deceived Mike Gatting at Old Trafford with a delivery that landed on the leg stump and, as the Englishman tried to defend, turned viciously to clip his off bail.

Rajasthan Royals pays tribute to its first captain late Shane Warne

A “shocked and devastated” Rajasthan Royals on Saturday paid glowing tributes to late Shane Warne, saying the Australian spin legend had shaped the values of the franchise and impacted the careers of many players during his stint as captain in the Indian Premier League.

Warne played 55 matches for Rajasthan Royals between 2008 and 2011. He led the side to the IPL title in the inaugural edition in 2008. That triumph remains RR’s only IPL title till date. He was instrumental in grooming a host of young Indian cricketers who were part of the Royals’ squad during that period.

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 4, 2022

“Everyone associated with the Rajasthan Royals is still shocked and devastated. Our first thoughts are for his family, who he cherished so dearly. We will ensure that he is never forgotten, and that his millions of fans in India get an opportunity to pay their respects,” the Royals’ Lead Owner Manoj Badale said in a release.

“Shane (Warne) was the first Royal. Our first captain. Our first family member. And Our first champion. He provided so many memories on and off the pitch. He shaped the values of the RR franchise. He co-created the Royals. And he helped transform the story of the Indian Premier League (IPL).”