The lost legend

Shocking, sudden and premature demise of Shane Keith Warne has created a huge void in the cricketing world, which will take a long time to be filled. In every age of cricket, there are a bunch of cricketers who, apart from being deeply passionate about the country they represent, are also felt so closely beyond national boundaries. In a sense, they achieve such greatness that is more than enough to be confined within boundaries. For Indians who have followed even a fair bit of cricket in the 1990s and 2000s, and for those who don't tire of telling the tales of the Tendulkar era even today, Shane Warne was one among those fascinating players. Tendulkar-related legends are simply incomplete without the mention of the likes of Warne and McGrath. So is the case in Sri Lanka where Muttiah Muralitharan's mention often comes with that of Warne. Similarly, the Ashes tales of England will be so incomplete if one misses the mention of legendary Warne. Is it just about the cricketing skills of Warne that made him so special to the cricketing world? Certainly, it formed the skeleton because skill is the core requirement in any sport but cricketers like Warne are not confined to skills only. How does one describe his classical aura on the cricket ground? Equipped he was, with the typical and tough Australian aggression but, at the mantle of it, lay the element of respect that adversaries would reciprocate for him. He was probably more friendly and respectable for his demeanor when compared to the likes of Brett Lee, McGrath, and Ponting. It is hardly a surprise that the entire cricketing fraternity is soaked in despair and shock after Warne's demise. For the viewers, an irreplaceable element of the era he represented is now lost, and we are yet to figure out how to reimagine that era of Tendulkar and Warne without the genius. The grief of Ponting is completely understandable as he broke down in tears while paying tribute to the legend, so is Gilchrist's wordlessness who had seen his each magically turning delivery from behind the wickets. Equally genuine is the grief of adversaries who have played against him. Team sports nurture mutual bonds among players, and if the player was like Shane Warne who had consistently served cricket for around two decades, then the bonding becomes even more profound. For his contemporaries, Warne has taken away with himself a part of their world. It goes without saying that legends like Warne live beyond their death through their works. There is so much that Shane Warne has contributed to cricket. Spin bowling in cricket was reshaped and accorded the right place only after the likes of Warne, Muralitharan and Kumble proved themselves, and reigned on the global stage. Right from the "Ball of the Century" with which he puzzled the English batsman Mike Gatling in the 1993 Ashes at Old Trafford to his stunning performance in 2007 Ashes in which Australia whitewashed England 5-0, Warne added a great deal of variety in his bowling. It can be said in a sense that while Warne grew old, his cricket remained fresh till the end. After the end of his international cricket career, he would mesmerize cricket viewers with his impeccable commentary skills where his depth of observation and knowledge would spell delight. Not to skip the mention of his IPL stint for Rajasthan Royals which probably offers us the last memories we have around the game of the cricketing genius. The fact that Warne held such an important place in the cricket world can be attributed to his unfading love for the game. After he was done with his cricketing career, his eyes were always keenly looking for new talents who would improve and define the future of cricket. Interestingly, he was simply outstanding in this task as well. Warne was among the firsts to recognize and back the talent of 'rockstar' Ravindra Jadeja, and in fact many others. Warne is also known for his critical prophecies and observations that would guide the Australian dressing room. Every cricket lover is trying to do something and the other to pay tribute to the legend. Now that Warne is no more in the world, a generation of cricket lovers from the 1990s and 2000s will live by the tales around the legend — telling and listening with delightful reminiscence.