Warne’s pep talk does it for Trivedi & Royals

Siddharth Trivedi’s final over (1, 1, dot, wkt, 1+wkt, wkt) against the Deccan Chargers bore a rather interesting look. Before every ball bowled, captain Shane Warne walked up to the bowler for a quick chat, then ran up to his fielding position. What transpired during those mini conferences could well end up having an impact on the course of the IPL season.

When asked what went on, Trivedi said, “I would tell Warne what I was going to bowl, and he would either agree, or suggest a change. It always helps to have good communication with the captain.”

And the captain’s communication skills definitely made a telling contribution. Needing just six to win off the last over, the Chargers managed to score just three, losing their last three wickets in the process and succumbing to an improbable loss.

Calling Trivedi to bowl the last over was a gamble. But then Warne has proved time and again in the IPL, that he has the uncanny ability to not only make his inexperienced teammates believe in their abilities but also deliver the goods.

On Monday, long before Warne took over and guided a tense Trivedi through his last over heroics, the astute tactician and a world-class spinner had brought his team back into the contest from a rather hopeless situation. Even opposite number Adam Gilchrist could not avoid praising Warne. “He is a fine leader of that team. But he is the best leg spinner to have played the game too.”