Warne leads from the front: McGrath

Warne has galvanised a bunch of unheralded youngsters, along with the likes of Graeme Smith, to a formidable outfit, which has shrugged its defeat in the first match and went on to register five wins in a row to soar to the top of the table.

McGrath is naturally impressed by whatever he saw of Warne the captain so far in the IPL.

“He is a great player and he leads from the front,” McGrath told reporters here today.

“He has done a great job in putting the team together and motivating them to give their best,” said McGrath.

He, however, made it clear that he would not hold anything back when his side locks horn with Warne and his teammates.

“I would love to play against Shane and win” he said.

McGrath’s Delhi Daredevils has already defeated the Rajasthan Royals in the April 19 in Delhi and the rivalry would be renewed again on May 11 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

McGrath, meanwhile, has his eyes on Thursday’s tie against the Chennai Super Kings and the pacer said his team have chalked out their plans for the match.

“We have a clear plan for our next game. We want to play consistently well and execute the plans properly,” he said.

The beanpole pacer also had some words of appreciation for younger teammate V Yo Mahesh and said the pacer would prove to be a great find for India in future.

“Yo Mahesh is a great prospect, he has done a tremendous job for the team and I feel he has a great future ahead,” he said.

Done through international cricket, McGrath continues to impress with his precision and the pacer said he was surprised that his body was reacting well to the pressure.

“I am myself surprised as how good my body is feeling at the moment. It has been doing good so far, hope it remains the same in future,” said the 38-year-old pacer.

McGrath also had a word of praise for his skipper Virender Sehwag and he rated him as a great captain.

“I am feeling very good to be a part of this team and Sehwag is a great captain,” he said.

McGrath felt the Twenty20 tournament was proving to be a good platform for the players to mingle with each other and play in the true spirit of the game.

“IPL has brought different cultures from different countries together. The interaction of the players help to develop friendship among the players and as a whole, it contributes to the spirit of cricket,” he said.