Shane Warne First Told Me, We Do Not Need You: Sohail Tanveer On His Stint In IPL 2008

Shane Warne, the late great Australian cricketer, was important in establishing the Indian Premier League. Warne, who had retired from international cricket the year before, returned to captain Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 and led the side that no one expected to win.

As RR advanced to the final in IPL 2022, the franchise and everyone associated paid a heartfelt tribute to the Australian legend.

Several cricketers who were part of the RR team in 2008 revealed their memories of working with Shane Warne, and all agreed that he was a fantastic leader and person. Sohail Tanvir, the Purple Cap winner that year with 22 wickets in 11 matches, recounted his first meeting with Warne and how, thanks to a strong performance, he was able to change the Australian legend’s mind about him.

Shane Warne Instilled A Lot Of Confidence In Me: Sohail Tanveer

“I was in Pakistan when the team manager told me ‘Shane Warne is saying that we don’t need you right now. When we do, we will call you’. The owner called and told me that everyone has to assemble with the team. Then I flew to Hyderabad, and next morning during breakfast, I met Warne for the first time. He told me ‘You have just come. You’re obviously not playing today’s match but we will see from there,” Tanvir told Capital TV.

“Warne had not seen me because he had retired from international cricket and he was probably not following it much either. We went to Bangalore; he saw me in the nets playing and told me ‘Be ready’. In the next match, I bowled well and picked up 2/26. After that match, he came to me and said ‘you are my man’. So, at first, he said we don’t need you and later told me ‘you are my man’. He instilled a lot of confidence during the remainder of the IPL,” added Tanvir.

The Pakistani fast bowler was one of a few of Pakistani players selected for the IPL. Tanvir not only won the Purple Cap, but he also bowled a fantastic spell of 6/14 against Chennai Super Kings, a record that remained for 11 years until West Indies bowler Alzarri Joseph broke it by bowling 6/12 for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2019. Tanvir went on to say that he first attracted Warne’s notice during a net session and that after a good performance in the next game, he had become Warne’s go-to-bowler.

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