Shane Warne passed away at 52 on March 4 in Thailand while on vacation.
There have been many great players in the game of cricket but rarely has anyone had an impact on the sport itself as much as Shane Warne did during his playing career. He was responsible for reviving the lost art of leg-spin bowling, especially in white-ball cricket, making ti attractive for a host of young players to take up wrist spin.
Even after retiring from the game, Warne continued to help out young spinners everywhere and shared his knowledge with anyone who was willing to talk to him and asked him. Hence his untimely passing is seen as a huge setback for the game.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently spoke about the last time he met Warne during the Headingley Test in a bar.
“The last time I saw him was in Leeds when I was coach. I was in the bar having a drink with Bharat Arun and Sridhar and he popped in his head. I shouted 'Hey Warnie!' He didn't see me. I said, 'Hey Warnie, come here man!' He walked up, I caught him tight and said that we need to have a chat, 'I need to talk to you about something," said Shastri on ESPNCricinfo.
“He said, 'Yes Rav, anytime.' And off he went, I never saw him again,” Shastri added.
Shastri also spoke about the extraordinary knowledge of the game that Warne possessed which meant that he could often predict most of what was going to happen on the field from the commentary box itself.
“I feel really sad because we got along like fire. The topics we discussed in the commentary box, was nothing but cricket. His knowledge was unreal. 90 percent of the time he was right and he always had the ace of spade up his sleeves. We will miss him because he was one of the great characters of the game,” said Shastri.
Warne made his debut in 1992 against India. He showed signs of the skill and control that was later going to make him the greatest leg-spinner to have played the game; however, he ended up with just one wicket for 150 runs in the first innings. The sole wicket, coincidentally, was that of Shastri.
"He had tremendous control even in his first Test match and he spun his leg break. It was his hallmark right through his career. In that first Test, I remember Sachin and me batting on a big partnership, close to 200. The number of times he allowed himself to be cut or pulled, I can't remember.
“I think once I pulled him when I was over 190. Sachin cut him twice but otherwise, his length was immaculate. Great temperament. After the game, I met him and said, 'You'll bowl a lot worse than this and pick six or seven wickets.' Six months later he had 7/50 (7/52) against the West Indies at the MCG,” said Shastri.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)