Was never scared of Sachin: Warne

1 Apr 2010

New Delhi: Spin wizard Shane Warne said on Tuesday he was never afraid of bowling to Sachin Tendulkar.

The Aussie legend said his statement in the late Nineties that he had nightmares about bowling to the Indian batting maestro should not have been taken too seriously.

“Yes, I said so after a tournament in Sharjah, but it was more of a joke,” said the Rajasthan Royals captain. The Royals take on the Delhi DareDevils at the Kotla on Wednesday.

“I might have said, ‘I’m going to have a few nightmares tonight…’ Some journalists took it as a gospel,” Warne said. “Sachin is the best batsman of my time and I enjoyed bowling against him but I was never scared.

“If I was scared, I wouldn’t have taken so many wickets in my career. I had quite a few hair-raising experiences when he (Sachin) smashed me all over the park but I also got him out many times,” added Warne.

“I am never frightened of anyone. I am not arrogant, I am just confident of my abilities. I have enjoyed bowling against great players like Sachin and Brian Lara. I remember getting him (Sachin) out in the IPL semi-final in 2008. I think I can get him out this time again,” said Warne, who has more than 1000 international wickets under his belt.

Warne hinted he would love to continue playing for the Rajasthan Royals next season. “However, it all depends on whether my team wants me to continue playing for them. I have to go through the re-auction. It’s a complicated process. If some franchise pays me 3-4 times more money, may be I will go but ideally I would like to be loyal to the Royals,” Warne explained.

The legendary spinner felt the International Cricket Council (ICC) should work with the IPL to create a separate window for the tournament but dismissed any suggestion to extend the tournament beyond the six-week period.

“I feel it (IPL) should be played for six weeks only,” he said. “IPL has to make sure it doesn’t become too long. Both the ICC and IPL have to come together and find a window to make sure that best international cricketers are available during this tournament.

“To me the No. 1 priority is to play for the country, and that too, in Tests. I think it should be the same for young cricketers as well,” said Warne.