Every interaction with the late Shane Warne was a learning experience, according to India and RCB batter Virat Kohli, who felt the spin legend always had constructive conversations.
One of the all-time greats of the game, Warne died at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand on March 4.
"I have tried to copy his actions at some stage or the other. That's the impact he had on the game of cricket, and he was an amazing human being as well. I had a chance to speak to him quite a bit off the field as well," Kohli said. "He was always positive and none of his conversations were random. It was always constructive, that you can learn from and spoke very passionately about Test cricket and cricket in general, he just loved the game."
The Australian was a spin wizard who made the world fall in love with his craft. He is credited with reviving the art of leg-spin bowling. He took 708 wickets from 145 Tests, in an illustrious career spanning 15 years.
Warne's death came as a shock not just to the cricket community but beyond.
"It was a shock to everyone, but we can just smile and look back at his cricketing career, his achievements, and his life, he lived the way he wanted to live. "He is probably the most confident personality that I have met, I am grateful that I have got to know him a little bit off the field as well," Kohli added.
For compatriot Glenn Maxwell, Warne was a "hero" growing up, who changed the perception of spin bowling. "I had a lot of heroes when I was growing up watching people play, not necessarily just from cricket but from other sports as well, Shane Warne was certainly one of them.
"He revolutionised the game, he changed the perception of spin bowling around the world. All of a sudden, after he came on the scene, every team needed to have a leg-spinner to be a successful team," Maxwell said. "I suppose the person that he was away from the field was probably more inspiring to me."
