Shane Warne puts on a brave front
Shane Warne has always believed in maintaining a positive outlook, no matter what, so it came as no surprise when he tried to make light of the absence from IPL III of Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas.
“They are two important players,” conceded the Rajasthan Royals skipper ahead of the clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. “They were there in the IPL from the start. So their leadership will be missed. Also their skills, as both are good cricketers. The all-round abilities of Masceranhas will be missed. “But there are 10 international players in our team to choose from if these sort of situations arise. We have Adam Voges, Johan Botha and Damien Martyn joining us. We look at conditions and study the opposition to choose the appropriate players. I would like to see this as an opportunity for two other players.”
Warne said there was better news on the Yusuf Pathan front. Pathan hurt his shoulder in the last match against Delhi Daredevils. “He is getting better,” Warne remarked. “He was out there in the swimming pool. He is going through the paces. Hopefully, he will be fine.”
The Royals have lost their first two matches this season. “It is important for us to get the momentum,” said Warne. “We have lost two games, though the first one was very close. We probably should have won that, particularly after Yusuf producing such a miracle innings. If he hadn't got run out at the bowler's end, it could have been a different story. We have got the right game plan but at the end of the day, it is important for us to execute our plans well on the field.”
Warne refuted suggestions that the batting was too dependent on Pathan. “We have Paras Dogra and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, among others, coming up with good shows. We have a very strong middle-order. Dogra has played well in two tough situations. But Yusuf is one guy I would love to have in my team rather than in the opposition.”
