Mohammad Kaif was effusive in praise for his former Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Shane Warne, saying the spin legend was well ahead of his time in adapting horses for courses approach, that worked wonders for Royals' inexperienced but talented unit in the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. 

Under Warne, Royals pulled off their first and till date the only IPL title in the history of the league when nobody expected the side to go the distance. 

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"Shane Warne was ahead of his time. He started the concept of 'horses for courses' during IPL 2008. Warne got the best out of everyone. He had the quality of being flexible," said Kaif, who was part of that side, during an Instagram live session with his then teammate Yusuf Pathan. 

"We had a lot of changes on our side. There was no batting position fixed for any player. Warne told me to talk to the Indian guys, who were a little weak in English."

"I did not (initially) take IPL 2008 very seriously as not many of us had played the format, but when we started winning, I thought that this product would go a long way as the families started enjoying the tournament," he added. 

Yusuf remembers how Warne inspired each and every member of the side after the heavy defeat in the first match against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). 

"I remember Warne took our team meeting. He was very positive. He told it does not matter that we lost in the first match, but he emphasised the need for showing team-spirit and giving our best," said the right-hand batsman, who was integral to the team's surge towards the title with 435 runs at a strike-rate of 179.01 across 15 innings. 

"He (Warne) motivated all of us by giving a rousing speech and then he went on to say that we will go on to win the tournament. Every skipper in the world should look to learn from him."

"Warne told us that the management will back every player. We went on to win our matches from thereon. Every player got the backing and appreciation after every match. We then made it to the finals. Whenever I go to Rajasthan, I feel like I have gone back to the time in 2008."

Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by three wickets in the final at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy ground in Mumbai to finish off their fairytale season. 

(Inputs from ANI)