'He lived his life like a King' - Sanju Samson recalls memories with Shane Warne

Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne led the Rajasthan Royals team to a title victory in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After the team’s shattering loss in the opening fixture, they made a turnaround to win 11 of their next 13 league matches and became the first team to qualify for the playoffs. Captain Warne did it with the young crop of players, who were yet to deliver their best in the T20 cricket.

In the latest interaction, the present Royals captain Sanju Samson reckoned that if you had spent one hour with Warne, the learnings would be sufficient for your whole life. He then added that the former Aussie spinner had a charismatic personality and lived his whole 52 years like a ‘King’. Unfortunately, Warne died due to a suspected heart attack on 4 March 2022 in Thailand.

“Whatever memories we have, whatever days he has lived in his life, it was super special. If you had spent even one hour with him, you can take the learnings for your whole life. That’s the kind of personality (he was), and he lived his 52 years of life like a King. His ideas were really superb,” Samson said on Breakfast with Champions show on YouTube.

My dream was to face Shane Warne: Sanju Samson

Samson then revealed that it was his dream to face the legendary spinner, but when he marked his presence in the IPL, Warne had already retired. However, in 2020, Warne returned as the mentor for the Royals’ side, which gave an opportunity for Samson to face his deliveries. The Royals captain further added that Warne had a different swag to him, and all the members of the team felt his energy during his presence. In IPL 2022, the Royals paid a tribute to Warne by wearing an ‘SW23 Jersey’ against Mumbai Indians on April 30.

“My dream was to face Shane Warne, but when he retired, I thought now I won’t be able to play against him. But he returned as a mentor of the Royals team. Then I said to him, ‘Shane can you bowl me a couple of balls, and then he replied, ‘why not mate’. He had a different swag at that age as well. We all at the Royals have memories with him. If he was sitting among the whole team and support staff, everyone can feel Shane Warne is sitting there, that’s the kind of energy he had,” Samson added.