Jakati's catch the game changer: Warne

Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne said Shadab Jakati's stunning catch off his own bowling to dismiss Shane Watson turned the game in Chennai Super Kings' favour in their Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

Jakati produced a brilliant effort to put the breaks on Royal's scoring rate, which saw them score 81 runs for the opening wicket in just 10 overs.

"We actually bowled pretty well. It was a good wicket, it was a 160-175 wicket. I thought we could've got more, if Watson had stayed in there a couple of overs. Jakati's caught and bowled was probably the turning point of the game. It was a very good catch. He absolutely creamed it," Warne said after his team's eight-wicket defeat at the MA Chidambaram stadium.

"We know what Watson can do, and it was probably the game changer, but we still should've been good enough to have got 160-170," he added.

Warne expressed disappointed with what the team achieved despite getting a flying start.

"I thought we were 15 or 20 short, I said it at the toss. I said it was a 160-170 wicket. I thought we could make it up in the field but a couple of errors in the field, a couple of silly things. We gave away nine or ten runs in a couple of overs. 86-1 off 10 overs... we've got to make 160 for me. And that's run a ball. Run a ball is 150. I was disappointed."

The Royals captain, however, was all praise for Rahul Dravid, who played a fluent knock of 66.

"I think Rahul Dravid played beautifully. He's such a class player. I love playing with him. It's great to have him in the team, but fair play to Raina and Hussey."

"(We had) too many dot balls, the batsmen that came in, took too long to get in. I thought we let ourselves down (in the field). Fielding has always been one of our hallmarks."

Asked if he thought matches in Chennai should be played at night due to the extreme heat, Warne said "I would've thought you play the day games you can play in April here in Chennai and in May, maybe at night, wouldn't you? But we knew that before the tournament. The heat was the same for both teams and it didn't really play a part for any of the teams. No issue there whatsoever."

Inexperience cost us against KKR: Warne

Inspirational Rajasthan Royals' captain Shane Warne on Friday blamed inexperience and bad luck responsible for his side's humiliating nine-wicket loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here.

After two easy wins over Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan was mauled by Knight Riders at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

"We couldn't executive our plans and luck too was not in our favour. A few edges could have flown straight to fielders. A little inexperience, like Nayan Doshi running into the circle too cost us dearly," Warne told reporters after the match.

He said slow batting in the middle overs let the side down.

"We were bogged in the middle overs and perhaps landed 15 run short. But a score of 159 was at par with our expectations but I thought 15 more was possible," the former Australian leg-spinner said.

"Our plan was to get Watson and Taylor out there around the 12th over after laying down a decent base. But Watson got bogged down a bit," added Warne, who is also the coach of Rajasthan outfit.

Warne also defended his decision to pick Botha ahead of tearaway pacer Shaun Tait.

"Anybody can select a better team after the match but we had certain plans which did not come off today. This can happen in Twenty20 cricket," he insisted.

© PTI

I never had nightmares thinking about Sachin: Warne

A fitter, fresher Shane Warne speaks exclusively to TOI about Rajasthan Royals' months of turmoil and how he's now raring to prove a point again.

How long has it been that you've rolled your arm on a cricket field?

The longest stretch that I spent without bowling a single delivery was between IPL 2 and 3. I didn't bowl at all during that time and I came straight into the tournament like that last year. This time, I've been rolling my arm over and have been in the right kind of rhythm. It has been about creating a fine balance between doing the right thing and not overdoing it, which is what I've tried to follow. This year, I'm a lot better prepared and more focused.

After all that Rajasthan Royals went through, a fit Shane Warne raring to go is the best thing they deserve...

Rajasthan Royals have taken a lot of my time and I've been very seriously involved with the team for the last three years. Last year, many things happened and credit goes to everybody, including the BCCI, the franchise and all associated with IPL to have helped in sorting things out so that we go ahead with the tournament. We've got a bit to prove this year to everybody that the first year wasn't just a flash in the pan. In fact I thought we did well in IPL 2 and 3 also and it was just a game or two that made the eventual difference.

How do you look back at what happened in the last six months?

The one thing that never ceases to amaze me about India and Indian cricket is the politics that goes on here. The last six months had been a very rough patch for Royals and finally when the go-ahead for the tournament came, finalising teams, budgets, retaining the players, getting sponsors - these weren't very easy things to get done with. I still don't get the whole idea behind terminating a team and for what reasons? But I'm thankful that Royals are there and heading into the tournament well prepared. As far as politics go, I'm not exactly sure why they wanted Royals out. Because of Lalit's brother-in-law or something? (shrugs)

Your views on player retention and fresh auctions?

If you ask me, there shouldn't have been any retention at all. At the most, teams should have been allowed to identify a captain who they could retain and then move on and buy all the rest of the players afresh. Consistency among teams would've remained. I also feel the $9m salary cap that was in place should've been more transparent, unlike what I kept hearing about teams handing players the money from under the table. Why? Why couldn't it be as simple as the highest bidder taking that cricketer home and forming his team? There was just too much wrong happening.

How would you describe your new team?

Jacob Oram has joined us. We have the likes of Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Johan Botha, myself and a lot of young promising cricketers who make the team look good. Do you know that whenever we (Royals) have scored 143 or more in IPL, we've never lost? We've always had that underdog tag attached to us which has worked well for us. Let the other teams be in focus and under pressure. We're happy doing what we do. We like to promote youth and that's what we'll be focusing on.

Did you get fan mail when Royals were dumped?

The population of the state of Rajasthan is some four times more than Australia and don't know how many times more than England. I got a lot of fan mails, tweets and they seriously wanted to know what the status of the team was. I can definitely say we got a lot of backing and that's makes the comeback all the more special.

Darren Berry is not with Royals. Does that upset the plans?

Darren Berry and myself had been planning a lot but he decided to switch over to South Australia and that's unfortunate. But Jeremy Snape has been around and he's been a very calming influence. Yusuf Pathan is also not with us and that's a big loss. I know his heart is still with Royals. But we, as a team, have got to move on.

You've been all over the place: columns, TV, Twitter. Are you conscious of the fact that what you say or write is now being followed very closely?

I've always talked very freely about the game and issues related to it. To me, cricket has never been about money. I've spent 24 years in the game now and I still feel I have a lot to offer, especially where bowling is concerned. I'm glad I'm getting to do it all and I've been enjoying every bit of it.

You look fitter than ever. Has there been any extra effort on that front?

Through January, February and March, I was training very seriously and had started bowling. Actually, let's say since Christmas, I've been back on the field. I enjoy yoga that keeps me fit, well balanced and calm. I'm not getting any younger. In fact I'll be turning 42 soon. I spend a lot of time with my three children, 14, 12 and 10 years of age, and that gives me extreme happiness. It's a mix of all these things that I'm still carrying on.

The pressure factor during India's World Cup campaign...

Pressure is something that is created because of expectations, because things are expected from a team, from an individual. Sachin Tendulkar is a great example of that. He was number one in my list of top 100 cricketers and that wasn't just because he's pure class and a great friend. He's handled the pressure so well every time he's walked out to bat and has been playing international cricket for 22 years. That's a great feat.

You were quoted as being interested in Team India's coaching job?

I never said I wanted to coach India. What I said was that Gary Kirsten, while he was there, did a great job and whoever comes in his place will have a fantastic opportunity to build on what Kirsten is leaving behind. I've been very badly misquoted. It is like one of those things about me and Sachin that went on for years. Let me put this on record once again that I never had nightmares thinking about Sachin. I still don't know where that came from. We've clashed a few times, I've been successful at times and he maybe more than me. But that's all there is to it.

MS Dhoni's captaincy...

He is a very good captain. He has a calm mind and that in turn has a very good influence on the team. He's still very young and to have that kind of control is very impressive. He's one of the best captains in the world today.

What has kept you busy all these days...

I've slimmed down a bit and feel very fit at the moment. I'm feeling very fresh coming into the tournament and enjoying myself. It's always great to come back and play for Rajasthan Royals, something I've done for three years now. It's time to get into that mode again. It has been a very busy last few months for me. The summer kept me tied up with the Ashes, then there was my own television show in which I was completely involved. There have been trips to the US for poker and other things, to UK for some personal things, the World Cup followed and now it's the IPL.

Any plans other than cricket?

Time management has been the key for me all throughout. I write, do television shows, I'm launching my own line of vests and underwears called 'Spinners' in India later this month which has been designed by my son. I'm a full-time investor too ... These are things that have kept me very preoccupied.

Aus play down Warne return

Tuesday, 20 May , 2008, 11:48

Cricket Australia (CA) has played down reports that retired leg-spinner Shane Warne could return to international cricket for next year's Ashes tour of England.
The former leading Test wicket-taker, who quit the international arena after Australia's 5-0 victory over England in early 2007, was quoted in local media as saying he would consider returning for the next Ashes series.
"If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and Ricky (Ponting) thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options," Warne was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Herald Sun newspaper.
"If Stuey (Stuart) MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you', that is something I would weigh up."
CA chief executive James Sutherland, however, distanced his organisation from Warne's comments.
"I've been in cricket long enough not to be surprised of any headlines that Warnie grabs," a smiling Sutherland told reporters.
"The simple answer to that is that Shane is retired from international cricket and has been for 15 months or so.

"I acknowledge there has been speculation in the newspapers...but the reality is that Shane is retired and not available for selection.
"It is up to him if he wants to make himself available and that is something only he can decide. I haven't spoken to him."
Sutherland said if Warne made himself available, then it would be up to the selectors to decide on the best team.
"I'm not a selector," he added. "They make decisions in the best interests of Australia cricket.
"They choose the best Australian cricket team based on those players that are available at the time.
"It's not for me to be determining what the Australian cricket team needs."
Warne, who took 708 Test wickets, has since retired from first-class cricket and is only playing in a domestic Twenty20 competition in India.
"If I wanted to keep playing I don't think there would be an issue with me being the number one spinner and performing," he said.
"I would still love to be playing international cricket, and miss it because I devoted 20 years to first-class cricket. It is a big part of my life.
"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that."

Source: http://sify.com/sports/cricket/fullstory.php?id=14677522