Ish Sodhi Points Out The Common Thing Between Anil Kumble And Shane Warne

Aug 27, 2020 at 11:49 AM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
Ish Sodhi Points Out The Common Thing Between Anil Kumble And Shane Warne

Indian-born New Zealand cricketer Ish Sodhi developed his passion for leg-spinning after watching videos of greatest spinners; Anil Kumble and Shane Warne. They were the big inspiration for the young Sodhi who is a prominent player for the Kiwis.

Ish Sodhi made the debut for New Zealand in 2013 and so far has played 33 ODIs, 17 Tests and 45 T20Is. He learned the art of bowling leg-spin under his childhood coach Dipak Patel. The 27-year old never watched Kumble and Warne playing live but got inspired by them after watching their videos on YouTube. He was in awe of the craft of the legends and developed his love for leg-spinning.

Isha Sodhi, Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble and Shane Warne. Credits: IPL

“I fell in love with the art of bowling leg-spin while bowling under Dipak Patel. He was my coach when I was in an academy and was somewhere around 12 or 13. I couldn’t really bowl off-spin, so I learned leg-spin under his watch,” Sodhi told Cricket.com.

“Then being part of a generation where YouTube is accessible and I watched videos of Shane Warne and from there my love for leg-spin developed. After that, I started following Anil Kumble, and then Stuart MacGill. Those three during that era were the best and for me watching them as a young leg-spinner was a great inspiration.”

Anil Kumble and Shane Warne had one thing in common: Ish Sodhi

Anil Kumble. Image Credit: AFP

While playing for Rajasthan Royals, Ish Sodhi played under the guidance of Shane Warne who was the mentor of the franchise. He had also met the former Indian head coach Anil Kumble during India’s tour. The Kiwi bowler had deep discussions with Kumble and got some valuable insight.

“Shane Warne has got the greatest cricketing brain I have come across. He understands the game really well and has a very simple approach. Anil Kumble was great when I spoke to him for about an hour in Kolkata once. Also spoke to him about his battles with Australia and what it was like to bowl in India. Something like changing your lengths and I got some valuable insights,” he said.

Ish Sodhi spotted one common thing among the greatest spinners. He said that all of them were aggressive and had a hunger for picking wickets.

“As a spinner, you think you have to hit the same line and length every time but that’s not the case. It was something I learned from him. I also worked a lot with Stuart MacGill for a couple of years. We became really good friends. Great interactions, all of them! The main thing that they all have in common is that they are aggressive and always looking for wickets.”

Shane Warne (708 in 145) and Anil Kumble (619 in 132) are among the just four bowlers in cricket history who have over 600 Test wickets in their name.

Related Article
Kane Williamson Likely To Miss ODI World Cup After Injuring His Knee During IPL 2023
Kane Williamson Likely To Miss ODI World Cup After Injuring His Knee During IPL 2023

Apr 6, 2023, 10:19 AM


NZ vs SL: New Zealand Pacer Neil Wagner Ruled Out Of 2nd Test Against Sri Lanka
NZ vs SL: New Zealand Pacer Neil Wagner Ruled Out Of 2nd Test Against Sri Lanka

Mar 12, 2023, 3:18 PM


Ish Sodhi Points Out The Common Thing Between Anil Kumble And Shane Warne
Ish Sodhi Points Out The Common Thing Between Anil Kumble And Shane Warne

Aug 27, 2020, 11:49 AM


IPL Is The Best And Unbelievable Tournament: Mitchell Santner
IPL Is The Best And Unbelievable Tournament: Mitchell Santner

Jul 20, 2020, 3:19 PM


India vs New Zealand 2020: 3rd ODI, Bay Oval – Match Prediction
India vs New Zealand 2020: 3rd ODI, Bay Oval – Match Prediction

Feb 10, 2020, 4:27 PM


New Zealand Drop Colin Munro, Unfit Trent Boult To Miss India ODIs
New Zealand Drop Colin Munro, Unfit Trent Boult To Miss India ODIs

Jan 30, 2020, 10:02 AM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner