Shane Warne Refined Spin Bowling And Made It Aggressive, Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin shared his thoughts and paid tribute to Australian legendary spinner Shane Warne. A spinner must have a very strong upper body and shoulders as it took many rotations to get the ball to spin. It is even more crucial for leg spinners.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that the sudden passing away of Shane Warne is still inconceivable for him. According to him, the late Australian spinner redefined spin bowling and introduced the aggressive side to it.

Warne died of a heart attack in Thailand on Friday, since then, the cricketing world has been mourning his death. He was more than a cricketer, a showman, a flamboyant entertainer and an Australian icon.

Ashwin said, “Warne was a fascinating human being. So many great players of Australia have spoken well about him. I still can’t accept how fleeting and ephemeral life is. No one can predict what will happen next. He redefined bowling and took over 1000 international wickets which is a very rare and incredible achievement.”

Warne bowled the ‘best ball of the century’ to England’s Mike Gatting, but Warne’s delivery is not Ashwin’s favourite. He said, ‘Warne made spin bowling aggressive in the cricket world. Everyone is talking about the ball he bowled to Mike Gatting but my favourite was the ball he bowled to Andrew Strauss in the 2005 Ashes. He single-handedly took the lead for Australia in that series. He was an extraordinary person and lived his life to the fullest.”

A spinner must have a very strong upper body and shoulders as it took many rotations to get the ball to spin. It is even more important for leg spinners. Warne had very strong shoulders. Rahul David seems to have asked him how his shoulders were so strong. This is a unique story. Australia Rules Football is a sport similar to rugby. He wanted to play it, but his physical strength and size weren’t sufficient.

In his childhood, Warne broke two bones in his leg when another child jumped over him from a height. Due to the plaster on both the legs, he used to move from the upper part of the body in a wheelchair, which strengthened his shoulders.

Ashwin said, “He could not walk and was in bed for several days. He used to move with the help of his hands. This strengthened his shoulders. This is what he told Rahul Dravid.” We all have challenges in life, but Warne told him how to make a success out of every challenge.