Almost four years since his passing, Shane Warne continues to be remembered fondly by many, but few more so than Ish Sodhi. The New Zealand leg-spinner, who idolised Warne, often finds himself thinking about the game’s greatest as he works on mastering a delivery popularised by the Australian great. As Sodhi, the third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, keeps adding new weapons to his arsenal, his mind drifts back to 2010, when he had the chance to pick Warne’s brains at Rajasthan Royals. Even today, he occasionally sends a text to Warne’s old phone number, not expecting a reply, but believing, in some way, that the message still reaches him.
Warne’s influence remains central to Sodhi’s growth and evolution. In a candid chat with ESPNCricinfo, Sodhi said he’s hoping to master the flipper, the one that skids on after pitching. Although his version isn’t exactly a replica of what Warne made famous, Sodhi has added his own touches.
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“It’s actually a ball that I have been working on for quite a while – it’s an old-fashioned flipper, the same way Warnie taught it. When I was growing up, watching Warnie bowl the flipper was something I got addicted to watching. It hasn’t been until probably the last couple of years of my career where I have actually started to use it a little bit more, but it’s just my version of being able to bowl a ball that’s slightly quicker,” Sodhi said.
“Sometimes I even send Warnie a text message every now and then with a video of the flipper that I have got a wicket with, and I’m like, ‘Warnie, wish you could see this!’ Obviously, he’s not receiving them, or he might be receiving them somehow. Because the couple of interactions that I had with him at Rajasthan Royals [Sodhi played for RR in the IPL in two seasons in the late 2010s], he taught me a few tricks around the flipper, so it’s a shame that he can’t see it come out.”
Warne’s influence lives on
Warne passed away due to a cardiac arrest at the age of 52 in March 2022 while holidaying in Thailand. As exceptional as he was as a cricketer, Warne was equally influential as a mentor, playing a vital role in shaping several young talents who later grew into modern-day stars, including Ravindra Jadeja. He captained Rajasthan Royals in the first three editions of the Indian Premier League, nurturing a generation of emerging players, and continued to do so in his second stint with the franchise when he returned as mentor in 2018.
Sodhi has featured in two matches for New Zealand in the ongoing T20 World Cup, and while he did not get to bowl against Pakistan, he returned 0/13 last evening against Sri Lanka in Colombo as the Kiwis notched up an impressive 61-run win to send the co-hosts packing.
