A Shane,Warne match

Watson all-round show ensures Rajasthan Royals give their skipper a winning farewell

He had looked the only assured Mumbai Indians batsman till then. Having hit five fours and one mighty six during an electrifying 58,he had also been at his authoritative best against all the Rajasthan bowlers,including one Shane Warne.

And when he stepped out-almost sprinted out in fact-to clobber the former Australian leg-spinner out of the Wankhede Stadium in his final over,most would have backed Rohit Sharma to succeed in his quest. But in his last gig on a major stage in front of a packed audience,Warne was not going to be undone. It almost seemed inevitable that the spin wizard would have one final trick left up his sleeve. And not surprisingly he did.

Warnes leg-break not only beat Rohit in flight,it spun viciously past his flailing hands his bat by then had already slipped out of his hands and was airborne,heading towards mid-on leaving the Mumbai batsman stumped,literally.

Over the last two decades though,Warne has made many a batsman look silly and flabbergasted with his trickery. Facing up to his arsenal of square-turning leg-breaks,top-spinners,flippers and zooters,a number of batsmen have ended up with two left-feet,many have had their composures rattled and some like Inzamam-ul-Haq have even lost their balance completely and been knocked off their feet.

That his umpteenth and final victim in a competitive match will end up losing not only his wicket but also his bat in comical fashion,however,is not something even crickets greatest master of drama would have planned or even expected. But with Warne there has always been a penchant for the melodramatic and the unexpected. And thanks to Sharma,he got a chance to bring the curtain down on his bowling career with a bit of theatre.

Apart from Sharmas wicket,Warnes final spell 1/30 in four overs in competitive cricket,however,had been pretty uneventful by his standards. His much-awaited final battle against longstanding nemesis Sachin Tendulkar too had passed by without much fuss. Neither did the Mumbai skipper hit his counterpart for a boundary nor did he seem in much trouble against him-well he rarely has. And it was a mistimed pull-shot against the innocuous Amit Singh that had brought about Tendulkars downfall.

Sharma had been imperious in his style of batting on the other hand. Prior to his arrival though,the Mumbai Indians had faltered with Tirumalsetti Suman and Ambati Rayudu falling cheaply at the start ,and Tendulkar looking edgy and uncertain against the slower bowlers in particular. In contrast Sharma was assured and also very comfortable against Warne. It was largely thanks to him that Mumbai even crossed the 130-run mark.

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As he walked off the ground to loud cheers from the Wankhede crowd and exchanged pleasantries with his teammates following Mumbais innings,Warne would certainly have hoped that his batsmen would finish the job and he wont be required to wield his willow one final time.

Openers Shane Watson and Rahul Dravid answered their captains wishes by leading the Royals to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory with almost seven overs to spare. The other Shane-with an equally blonde set of hair but definitely without the same charisma as his legendary namesake gave his skipper an explosive send-off,blasting the Mumbai bowlers around the Wankhede Stadium-though limiting all his six sixes over his favoured mid-wicket region.

But on a day the Rajasthan Royals bowed out of IPL IV,the cricketing world bowed to a man who revolutionised spin bowling in a way only he could have.