Warne happy to have Smith in his side
Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne is happy to have the services of South African skipper Graeme Smith at his disposal in the Indian Premier League.
Both Smith and Warne were star performers from last year as they led the Royals to victory in the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament.
The Proteas skipper and the former Australian spin-wizard share a good chemistry and Warne has even admitted that Smith’s presence eases the pressure off his shoulders while in the field.
"He's another captain to bounce ideas off. When I'm bowling, he's someone to keep an eye on the field. When I'm talking to a bowler he's making sure the best fielders are in the right spots,” Warne was quoted as saying to Sunday Times.
“I think he enjoys the IPL as well, just having the opportunity and the freedom to go out and bat without the responsibility of anything else. For us, being in South Africa and having the captain of South Africa in our side is a huge advantage."
South Africa is currently the number one side in world cricket and Warne has bestowed praises on Smith, who has grown both as a player and as a captain in the last few years.
“They (South Africa) have done well. He's (Smith) matured a bit too. He came in at a young age and wanted to try and mix it. He didn't want to take a backward step. He was so verbal and public about everything.”
“We (Australia) won 5-0 (in 2005/06) and I said to him the other day, when something's not working, try to do something else. Don't just continue and let the ego get in the way. He said, 'yeah, yeah, I've learned my lesson'. He learned a lot about himself and how things work. He's matured into a good captain."
Symonds and Yusuf Pathan are the cleanest hitters I’ve seen: Warne
The Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL campaign without their most successful bowler from last year – Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir. Also missing in action will be wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and fast bowler Shaun Tait. Last year’s Player of the Tournament, Shane Watson will join the side mid-way through the tournament.
However, Warne said that despite losing some star performers from last year, his team has a surprise element in the form of left-arm pacer Kamran Khan.
"We've got one young player who's going to be very interesting. Kamran Khan is a young kid, a left-armer, a slinger. He doesn't speak much English at the moment. He's a tiny little guy but he bowls 140 plus.”
He has also earmarked Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and middle-order batsman Ravindra Jadeja as players to watch out for when the second season gets underway on Saturday.
“Another guy to look out for is Ravindra Jadeja. He played last year, did enough but he's had another year of experience.”
“Then there's Yusuf Pathan. He was dynamite last year; he just destroys medium-pace and spin bowling. He and Andrew Symonds are two of the cleanest hitters I've ever seen."