'He was very clever' - Mohammad Kaif reveals Shane Warne's captaincy tactics during victorious IPL 2008 campaign

Shane Warne breathed his last on March 4. The Australian spin legend passed away due to a suspected heart attack in his villa in Thailand aged 52. His untimely demise left the whole world shell-shocked and all of them including the fans and members from the cricketing fraternity came forward to pay their last respects.

The 2008 IPL champions Rajasthan Royals also paid tribute to their first captain on social media. Apart from the franchise, some of the former players including all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and former India middle-order batter also remembered the ‘King of Spin’. Lately, Kaif has recalled Warne’s shrewd and smart tactics as RR skipper during the inaugural edition of the marquee tournament.

Shane Warne would always ask his bowlers to get the best batter out: Mohammad Kaif

“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,” said Kaif while speaking to Sportskeeda.

“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,” he added.

Rajasthan Royals were not expected to do too well in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League but under the champion Australian leggie, they did the unthinkable by rewriting history. Despite a huge nine-wicket loss against northern rivals Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan held onto their nerves and showcased exceptional performances thereafter.

The positive mindset paid off as the Shane Warne-led side made the semifinals and the final, where they got the better of MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in a last-ball thriller to become the crowned champions.