Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s untimely death last Friday (March 4) left the world shell-shocked and the cricketing fraternity is struggling to come to terms with it.
Tributes are poring for Warne from all quarters. Whether it was his teammates, opposition players, friends or even the fans, everyone has their story to share about the spin wizard.
On Tuesday (March 8), veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled an unheard story related to Shane Warne which he heard from current India head coach Rahul Dravid.
WATCH: Rahul Dravid mourns Shane Warne’s sudden demise, says it ‘feels like a personal loss’
Dravid had shared the dressing room with Warne at Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2011 after playing against each other in international cricket. He had once asked Warne about his strong shoulders and the late spinner had a fascinating reply to it.
“I was talking to Rahul Dravid who was extremely sad. For a spinner, you shoulder and upper-half of the body has to be extremely strong because you have to use many rotations to spin the ball. Because for a spinner to master your craft, you should keep bowling in the nets. More so, if you are a leg-spinner. He had strong shoulders and that was his massive advantage,” Ashwin said while speaking on his Youtube channel.
"It seems Rahul Bhai asked him, "How do you have such strong shoulders? What do you do?" It is such an unique story. There is a sport called 'Aussies Rules Football'. It is sport like Rugby. It seems he wanted to play the sport but was to built for it since people who play it are tall and well-built blokes.
“So, they used to bully him and it seems he broke both his legs while playing. He couldn't walk and was on bed rest. For 3-4 weeks he walked or rather floated using his bare hands and those made his shoulders strong and there was no looking back. That's what he has told Rahul Bhai. We all face obstacles in life, but look how Warne converted it as his success formula," he added.
Shane Warne was widely regarded as the greatest spinner to have played the game. He represented Australia in 145 Tests, claiming 708 wickets at an average of 25.42 with 37 five-wicket hauls. He also picked up 293 wickets in 194 ODIs and was part of Australia’s triumphant 1999 World Cup team.
