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Cricket Players‘Boss, how is Yusuf Pathan bowling?': Kaif marvels at Shane Warne's captaincy during IPL 2008 through unknown anecdote
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who shared the Rajasthan Royals' dressing room with Shane Warne during IPL 2008, talks about the tactical mastery of the Australia spin legend.
Shane Warne tragically passed away on Friday, March 4, and has left a huge void behind him. The cricketing fraternity continues to mourn the death of cricket's “rockstar” and tributes continue to flood in. Mohammad Kaif, his former teammate at Rajasthan Royals during IPL 1 in 2008, has shared an anecdote from the title-winning season to summarise the genius of Warne, the captain.
Former India player Kaif talked about a particular instance involving Yusuf Pathan and the great Adam Gilchrist during their clash against the Deccan Chargers.
“When we went to play the Deccan Chargers, he gave the new ball to Yusuf Pathan to bowl against Gilchrist. I was shocked that, ‘Boss, how is Yusuf Pathan bowling?’ But he knew Gilchrist very well, he knew Gilchrist liked the fast ball but might struggle against off-spin. And Yusuf got him out in that game,” Kaif told Sportskeeda in an interview.
Adding further about the tactical mastery of the Australian great, Kaif elaborated:
"He was very clever, very shrewd, very attacking, chirpy, talkative – he would not relax even for a single ball. I remember, for the first time, someone talking about the T20 format in detail. When bowlers used to go back to their mark, he would always go up and tell them to think about getting the wicket and bowling their best ball.
That was his mindset; he would tell every single bowler to think wickets rather than bowling dot balls or containing the batters.
"I have worked with IPL teams, and in the bowling meetings, the talk is always about bowling short or wide outside off stump and conceding a single. But he would always ask his bowlers to get the best batter out. Because, he knew that would eventually seal the game for us. And when the captain says this, your confidence goes up as a bowler and you’re not worried to even get hit for three sixes. This is something that many captains don’t do in T20 cricket."
