IND vs SL: I Understand The Persona, Charisma He Brought To Every Conversation- Virat Kohli Pays Tribute To Shane Warne

Indian batter Virat Kohli paid tribute to the legendary Australian spinner, Shane Warne, who passed away at the age of 52 in Thailand on Friday. The cause of death hasn’t been confirmed yet but reports suggest it was a heart attack.

Warne was a larger-than-life character who is respected across the cricketing fraternity for the impact he has had on the sport. His action is something every young spinner would have tried to mimic. In remembrance of the bowling legend, the 33-year-old Kohli had a few words to say.

“Got the sad news last night about the demise of Shane Warne, out of nowhere to be honest. We carry on what we do in life and we think everything is all about what we are involved in and in the present moment all our troubles and, things going wrong or things that we look forward to but realize so quickly that life is so unpredictable and fickle. We just need to be grateful for all the moments that we are alive.”

“Passing away at the age of 52 is totally unexpected. He went far too early. And I stand here in disbelief and shock because I got to know him off the field as well and I understood the persona and charisma he brought to every conversation that he was a part of. From that, I could understand what he brought on the field as well,” Kohli said in a video posted by the BCCI ahead of Day 2’s play.

“Greatest spinner to have ever played the game” – Virat Kohli

Warne took 708 wickets in his Test career and finished second to Muttiah Muralitharan, who ended up with 800 wickets. His best performances came against arch-rivals, England, against whom he has taken 195 wickets in total. Warne also performed brilliantly across countries, establishing his credentials as one of the greatest of all time.

“Just an honest man upfront – any conversation you had you could see the passion when he spoke so clearly, knew exactly what he was saying. Live life, king size. Just very grateful to have known him and to be the greatest spinner to have ever played the game. Needless to say, he will surely be missed.”

“But I hope we can put things into the right perspective in life, knowing how unpredictable things are and be grateful for all these moments. My deepest condolences to his family, his children, his parents. I know how difficult these moments can be. They have all our support and they are in our thoughts. God bless his soul,” Kohli concluded.

Ahead of the day’s play, the Indian and Sri Lankan players were seen wearing black armbands and they also observed a minute of silence in honour of Shane Warne.

Also Read – IND vs SL: Huge Loss To Cricketing World! Rohit Sharma Pays Tribute to Shane Warne, Says “He Inspired Whole New Generation of Cricketers”