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Journalism of Courage
In Spun Out, an unauthorised biography of Shane Warne that came out in 2006, Paul Berry describes the spin wizard’s life as ‘a fascinating and unflinching portrait of a sportsman with an extraordinary God-given talent, of a magician who mesmerises opponents, of a kid who won’t grow up, of a man whose personal life teeters between tragedy and farce.’
Had Berry waited another two years, the Indian Premier League, perhaps, may have allowed him to add that the bowler’s story is also that of an inimitable entertainer who knows first-hand what it takes to have a nation of a billion cricket fanatics spellbound with a dash of cricket and dollops of attitude.
In the last seven weeks that Warne has spent in India, as captain-cum-coach of Rajasthan Royals, every city he visited accorded him the welcome otherwise reserved for national icons. In Kolkata, they cheered for him as much as they did for Sourav Ganguly, in Mumbai his popularity is being measured against Sachin Tendulkar’s.
Gushing over success
Cricket fans across the country can’t stop gushing over what Warne’s achieved with a bunch of otherwise nondescript players. ‘The best captain that Australia never had’, ‘Indian (IPL) Idol’, ‘Warne’s recipe to success’ are some of the headlines he’s made, and the success story of Rajasthan has, quite literally, shot him to fame like never before.
In such a state of extreme fanaticism, why would Warne like to go back from India?
On Sunday, the IPL will get over but Warne doesn’t seem to be in the least bit of a hurry to go home. “Well, I’m not interested in coaching India — Gary (Kirsten) is an excellent guy and will do a fine job. I’m interested in something like having a spin academy. India is rich in spin talent and there’s a lot that I can contribute.”
In fact, if Warne was looking for an opportunity to begin, calling off for once his affair with English cricket, the fame that Rajasthan’s success has given him works in his favour.
To match it are Warne’s well-versed bytes circulating in the media, on the fans here, the cricket, the hidden talent and Tendulkar. “I like coming here, Tendulkar is a very good friend and the best batsman I’ve bowled to, the IPL is the best thing to happen to Indian cricket, fans here are adorable.
“I like talking to people, I can understand people better and that’s one big reason why I’ve been successful with the Rajasthan team,” he says.
It’s no secret that cricketers find the sub-continent most luring for post-retirement career options. Now, with the IPL making the world sit up and take notice again, there’s every chance the leggie might consider extending his visa.
