Anil Kumble pays tribute to Shane Warne; reveals untold secret of Australian team

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne died tragically of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. This news had sent a shockwave not only to the cricketers but also the fans as well.

He died of a heart attack in his hotel room while on a holiday in Thailand.

During his career in cricket, Shane Warne had been a nightmare for many batsmen. The former Australian leg-spinner was widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game.

Beautiful memories

The sudden demise of this legend has left several of his colleagues deeply pained as well. Now, former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble has paid a tribute to Warne and also revealed an untold secret of Australian team.

Sachin vs Warne

“His greatness magnifies because he played really well against India. He wanted to do really well against us because we were good players of spin. There was this series in 1998 where everybody was speaking about 'Sachin vs Warne'. Warne got the better of him in the first innings, and then Sachin got the better of him in the second," said Kumble.

Unknown to anyone

“There was this secret, an untold secret about the Australian team, that they will not go after a cricketer if you are friends with Shane Warne. So when you went out to bat, and if you were friends with Warne, you didn't get any banter from the Aussies. So when I went to bat, Aussies didn't need to do any banter to unsettle me. That was Warnie, that was how he looked after his friends," Kumble said.

With the Australian players engaging in more word wars with the opposing players, it is even more surprising that during Warne's time, none of his opponents' friends would be offended.